Stories set in the I Know You verse
by Slaymesoftly
Summary: Sparked by the amazing artwork from Sue World, she generously allowed me to use it with this fic. Set in the world established in I Know You and I Know You, II - one of several adventures Spike and Buffy have in Winterset.
1. Knowing and Watching

Previously: In Prologue to Life/I Know You, post Chosen Buffy has been grieving for Spike and her unhappiness is causing Dawn, Giles and Willow to worry about her. Willow does a spell that is intended to put Buffy back into the bouncy frame of mind she was in when she was sixteen and as carefree as is possible for a slayer to be. The PtB step in and return adult Buffy to the body of her youthful self in Season II. Soulless Spike appears, ready to kill his third slayer, only to find that this slayer knows him too well. Not only can he not best her in a fight, she calls to his libido in ways he can't understand. There is sex, angst, misunderstandings, more sex, sad farewells, and an eventual happy ending in which souled Spike, now "dead" after the final battle in NFA, is given a choice of going to Heaven or returning to Buffy, now firmly established in her younger body. Needless to say, he chooses to go to his slayer.

In the sequel, titled I Know You, II, we followed the adventures of the displaced Spike and Buffy from the first story. Buffy, now wearing an older, stronger body, but still a seventeen-year-old slayer, has existed for almost a year in an alternate world in which there is no Sunnydale. She has managed to find a job, a place to live and to make her way in this very different world, but she misses her mother and friends and hopes that someday she will be pulled home. Spike's reunion sex with Buffy, which was rudely interrupted when the PtB put "her" Spike into his body, ends abruptly and he finds himself dressed, slayer-less and in a graveyard. There is much less sex (lots of UST, though) in this story of how a soulless but somewhat changed vampire, and a young slayer whose life has been very different from what it would have been if she'd stayed in Sunnydale, work their way from cautious allies to partners to lovers.

The following story is set in their world and catches up with them a few years after the events of IKY, II. Spike has settled into the role of Buffy's watcher and fellow fighter against evil. In their new world, demons and vampires walk among the humans and only those who seek to prey upon others are deemed slay-worthy. Their lives are eventful enough to keep them from being bored, and quiet enough for them to have grown in their relationship until they are so much a part of each other's lives that to not be together is unthinkable.

A new villain has arisen in a nearby resort city, and they must call upon some of the things Spike has learned as a watcher to find and defeat him. Because they can, they spend a lot of their time at home having sex. We peek into one of their research sessions to begin our story...

**Watching and Knowing**

**Prologue:**

"Never thought I'd see the day when I missed having a Council of Wankers around."

Spike's grumbling elicited giggles from Buffy as she stood up from the table full of books and stretched her stiff back. Spike's insistence that they make themselves familiar with all the demon varieties in this world was a constant source of bickering between the reluctant watcher and his slayer mate. However, even he had to admit that wading through the large amount of information publicly available about demons and vampires in their new world was a daunting task.

"Yeah, but if they were around, they'd want to make one of them my watcher. And I like the one I've got." She came around behind him and leaned over to nuzzle his ear, sliding her arms around his chest and giving him a small hug. "I don't think the Watchers' Council has anybody quite as sexy as you are, or with all your… talents."

"Too bloody right, they don't!" he agreed with a purr. "And don't you forget it, missy. You're the only slayer to ever have a watcher like me."

"Of course, I'm also the only slayer in this dimension, so who knows? Maybe, if they had a Watchers Council, it would be full of sexy young men." Her giggle at his possessive growl brought a reluctant smile to his face.

"Got two words for you, love: Rupert Giles."

"Ewww! Way to spoil that fantasy, Spike!" She went to straighten up from her position, only to find herself yanked around the chair and onto the grinning vampire's lap.

"I catch you fantasizing about anything but my tight little body and I'll—" He broke off, both of them fully aware that he would do nothing to hurt her, regardless of what she might do to him.

"You'll what?" she whispered, watching his lips come closer to hers and closing her eyes in anticipation. "What would you do?"

Instead of the kiss she was expecting, she found herself dumped onto the floor as he stood up saying, "Turn you over my knee and make that delectable little arse rosy red."

From her position on the floor, Buffy glared up at him.

"Promises, promises," she huffed.

"That it is, love. That it is." He smiled and offered her his hand, pulling her to her feet and into a tight embrace. He gave her the delayed kiss she'd been looking for and enjoyed the way her body responded to him so quickly. With a barely-audible whimper, she melted into him, trusting his strong arms to hold her up as her knees weakened. His immediately noticeable response to her turned her whimper into a satisfied sigh as he tightened his hold and whispered into her ear, "What do you say, love? Time to take a break from all this sittin' and readin'?"

Her reply was to wrap one leg around his waist and pull herself against the bulge in his pants. He dropped his hands to her ass and hoisted her up so that both legs were around his hips and her warm crotch was pressed against him. After a few moments of panting and dry-humping, he let her slide down his body so that he could unfasten her jeans and his. Buffy moved backwards, pulling him towards the table full of books, but before she could jump up on it, he stopped her.

"Oi, slayer! Not on my books!" At the horrified look on his face, she shook her head and burst into laughter.

"Oh my god! You _are _turning into a real watcher! Just listen to yourself, Giles Jr."

"Bite your tongue!"

"Why don't you bite it?" she challenged, sliding her jeans down her legs.

With a growl, he picked her up and strode out of their improvised library and into the bedroom, throwing her down on the bed so hard that she bounced. Still giggling, Buffy quickly shed the rest of her clothes and waited for him to join her in the big, sturdy bed that had been their first purchase as a couple.

Dropping his pants to the floor and tearing his tee shirt off over his head, he leapt into the air and across the space separating them. He landed with admirable precision, one hand on either side of her head and with his legs just outside hers, holding himself up so as not to knock the wind out of her with his weight. He shifted into his game face and growled, "Now where is that tongue you wanted me to bite?"

"Right here," Buffy giggled, sending her tongue darting out at him and then quickly snatching it back inside her tightly closed mouth. "Oops! You missed it!"

"Is that so," he purred as he lowered his hips and began to rub his erection against her, teasing at her lips until her thighs parted for him and he could touch the moistened flesh hidden within. When Buffy opened her mouth in a silent "Oh!" he slipped his tongue in and kissed her, taking care not to cut her lips with his fangs.

In spite of the care he was taking and the way she was distracting him by arching her body against his, he felt her tongue glide across one of his sharp fangs and the heady taste of slayer blood soon filled his mouth. Making a sound somewhere between a whimper and a snarl, he collapsed upon her, allowing his cock to seek the opening that she was trying so hard to present. Buffy's arms and legs came around his body as she pulled him in and began the gentle squeezing that she knew he loved.

The taste of her blood left him with no ability to resist her actions, and he was soon pounding into her and gasping her name as she met him thrust for thrust. Their mouths met and parted; Buffy's need for air and Spike's need to murmur his adoration and appreciation making it impossible for them to continue the deep kisses for any length of time.

When he felt Buffy begin to clench around him and tremble with her release, he allowed himself two small sips from her throat before he exploded within her, calling her name as he did so.

They shuddered together, connected both physically and mentally as their mutual claim sent emotions back and forth between them in a seemingly unending spiral of sensation. With a final gasp, he buried his face in her neck and allowed his full weight to press her into the mattress. Rather than try to move him, Buffy relaxed her limbs completely and enjoyed the sensation of being totally beneath him – skin to skin from head to toe.

Eventually, his weight and her desire to breathe became factors and she had to give him a little nudge, saying with true regret, "As much as I like feeling you against me like this, even slayers need to breathe every once in a while."

"Sorry, love," he said, immediately rolling off her, pulling her with him so that she was draped across his body with her head on his chest. "I didn't mean to smother you."

"You didn't. I'd stay like that forever if we could figure out how to do it without squishing me."

"Don't you think you'd get hungry after a while?" he teased, stroking her back with one hand and holding her possessively close with the other.

"Probably," she agreed, snuggling into his side. "That was kind of a quickie, wasn't it?"

"Too fast for you?" All cockiness was gone as he worried that he'd disappointed her.

"Were you paying attention at all?"

"Yeah, I was paying attention, but if you think it was too fast—"

"Doofus," she said fondly, kissing his chest and running her tongue across his nipple. "I didn't say it was too fast. I just said it was a quickie. Isn't that what a quickie is? When we both get off really fast?"

"I suppose so," he agreed reluctantly. "'s not like I've had a lot of experience with quickies…"

"Bragger!"

He laughed and pulled her against him tightly. "Not bragging, love. Just sayin', don't know of anyone else could ever get me off that fast. You're my one in a million."

"You've had a million women?"

"What? No! It's just an expression. Bloody hell, Slayer, are you trying to start an argument?"

"Maybe," she admitted. "Anything's better than going back to those boring old books."

"It's almost dark, love. Let's get some dinner in us and go out for some hunting. That ought to brighten up your day – we'll find something for you to kill."

"Slay," she said firmly. "I don't kill, I _slay."_

"Tomato, tomahto, love. They're just as dead, aren't they?"

"No. Sometimes they're dusty." She fixed him with what she hoped was an intimidating glare, somewhat spoiled by being on a face with kiss-swollen lips on a thoroughly limp, naked body.

Instead of apologizing or arguing, he just smiled and stroked her hair. "I love you, Buffy. Love you so much it scares me."

Her face softened and she smiled shyly back at him. "I love you, too, William. But it doesn't scare me; it makes me happy."

"Makes me happy, too, sweetheart. I don't think I've ever been this happy in my life – or unlife."

**Chapter One**

It had been three years since Spike and Buffy had destroyed the Master and his minions. Three years in which their bond had deepened and Buffy had settled into the job as the one and only slayer in their darker world. With Dawn's help, she was able to stay in touch with her mother and her friends back in Sunnydale, but she no longer missed them the way she had before Spike had been deposited in Winterset. Seeing them through the sides of the portal-bubble once every couple of months had turned out to be enough for all of them. Xander and Willow were continuing their lives in Sunnydale, finishing high school and moving into adulthood. Their lives had diverged from both Buffys' – the Buffy now living in their world was living in grown-up domesticity with her souled Spike and no longer pretending to be any younger than she actually was.

"Their" Buffy, on the other hand, had been forced to grow up very quickly when she'd found herself alone in a strange world. High school, college, who was dating whom…these were all things that were completely foreign to her life in Winterset. She had settled into a comfortable life that surprised both herself and Spike – slaying what few vampires or demons were foolish enough to want to challenge a slayer and her master vampire mate, traveling around the country, or the world, as she was needed.

"Come on, lazy bones," Buffy said, pulling on Spike's toes where they stuck out of the side of the bed. "It's almost three o'clock in the afternoon. We promised the mayor of Shadyside that we would be arriving tonight. The train leaves at five."

With an exaggerated groan, Spike opened one blue eye and scanned the room, his gaze going immediately to the windows. He groaned again when he saw that it was a dark and dismal day outside.

"So much for hopin' it was a sunny day," he grumbled, sitting up and scratching his chest. "Don't see why I have to go, anyway. The woman wants to see you – the Slayer – not some old vampire what follows you around like a puppy dog."

Buffy's laughter at his semi-serious complaining did nothing to improve his mood, and he growled as he stretched his stiff body.

"You know you're not my puppy dog," she soothed, reaching over to run her fingers through his disarrayed curls. "You're my guard dog. All mean and scary and…"

"And thoroughly tamed," he laughed, his mood improved by her soothing touch. "You've got me on a tight leash, and you know it."

"I don't want you on a leash," she said, suddenly serious. "I want you with me because you love me and want to be beside me. Do you feel like I own you? Like I'm a boss?"

Once again cursing Buffy's absent father and whatever other experiences had caused the insecurities still hidden under a beautiful young woman's outward poise and confidence, he hastened to reassure her.

"Meant that in the nicest way possible, pet," he crooned, pulling her onto his lap and nuzzling his marks on her neck. "Want to belong to you. Do, you know. Even without the claim, I'd be yours for as long as you wanted me. You didn't put that leash on me – I did. And I'm grateful for it every day."

"You don't have to come with me, you know," she offered, still not sure that she hadn't detected an undercurrent of unhappiness in his voice. "You're right about the mayor. She just wants to see me to talk about some gangs of young vamps that are terrorizing tourists. There's probably nothing watchery to do. I'll find out where they hang out, slay a bunch of them and the rest will run home to their mamas."

"You want me to send you out to face a bunch of undead hooligans by yourself? What kind of a mate do you think I am?"

Full of righteous indignation, he rose to his feet and deposited her on the floor, an arm's length away from his naked body. Without further comment, he grabbed his jeans off the nearby chair and began to pull them on, muttering about "insecure bints with no common sense" and ignoring her satisfied grin.

"I'll be warming up your blood," she threw over her shoulder as she left the bedroom.

Learning to get around safely had been a challenge at first, but with the shorter days and darker skies of the new world, Spike had soon adapted to the new conditions and found that many days, a good hat with a wide brim, his ubiquitous leather coat, and gloves would be enough cover to allow him to move around during the daylight hours.

Cities in this dimension were much smaller and more widely spread out than in their original world. Word had spread about the Slayer and the vampire who was her constant companion, and they occasionally received calls for help from other areas of the world. Clem, they discovered, had relatives on almost every continent, so no matter where they went, they were assured a place to stay and some demon hospitality.

The trip to the neighboring resort city was a fairly short one – nothing like the ones they occasionally had to take to reach trouble spots elsewhere in the world. They easily made the train and relaxed into their seats. There was little to see out the windows as darkness settled in and the train sped through the barren lands between the two cities.

Buffy dozed on Spike's shoulder until she felt the rougher ride when the train crossed other lines as it pulled into the station. She stretched, drawing admiring glances from the few men scattered around the mostly empty car. One possessive flash of Spike's fangs had them all becoming very interested in something else and, while they waited for the train to stop, they carefully avoided looking at both the pretty girl and the vampire accompanying her.

Buffy shook her head, giggling at Spike's muttered threats that she knew were more for show than anything else. He actually enjoyed the attention his California girl drew from the male populations of this darker world, basking in the knowledge that she was all his and happy about it.

An hour later they were sitting together on an overstuffed sofa in the comfortable living room belonging to Janice Stevenson, the mayor of Shadyside and the woman who had contacted Buffy. They accepted cups of tea and assuring Mayor Stevenson that they understood completely why she hadn't wanted to meet them at her office.

"I just think it would be better if no one knew that you were here," she said with an anxious glance around her otherwise empty living room. "Many of these boys… these vampires… have parents who are still part of their lives, and they would be very unhappy if they knew I had brought the Slayer to Shadyside."

Buffy nodded her understanding, while Spike raised his eyebrows.

"They're still with their families?" he asked in surprise. In spite of the differences between this world and the one they had come from, the idea that you could become a vampire and remain in the bosom of your family struck an ache he had thought long gone.

"Well…" She shrugged and struggled to explain. "I wouldn't say that they are 'with' their families. They all live… well, we don't exactly know where they live or the police would have done something about them by now. They don't live at home. We do know that. But they stay in touch, show up for family parties and things like that."

"I guess if you're a parent, having your kid alive – even if he's really dead – is better than knowing he's gone forever." Buffy sounded dubious, but smiled reassuringly at the other woman.

"Speaking as a mother…" the woman smiled back at her, "I have to say that if something happened to one of my children that was fatal, but didn't take them completely out of my world, I'd be very grateful."

"So what's the plan, then?" Spike skipped right to the crux of the matter. "You want the Slayer to scare the piss out of them, but leave them in one piece?"

"Yeah." Buffy frowned. "That's a good point. What do you want me to do? If I fight them, somebody's going to get dusty. Maybe that would scare the rest of them into behaving for a while, but…"

The mayor sighed and refilled her teacup. "I understand," she said sadly. "I know that some of these boys are not going to survive an encounter with you. But if it scares the rest of them into minding their manners a bit better, it will be worth it. I just don't want their parents to know that I brought you in."

"Of course," Buffy said quickly. "You don't want to lose friends over it."

"Or votes," Spike drawled, raising one eyebrow at the flushed woman.

"Neither one," she responded firmly. "Some of these people _are _my friends. I've watched these boys grow up – or grow up as much as they could before something killed them." She met Spike's eyes firmly. "And, yes, I would lose some votes if it became known that I was directly responsible for having any of them killed. The owners of the businesses that depend upon the tourist trade would be happy, but the boys' parents and their friends would not."

"Can't the parents control them?" Buffy asked, a small frown furrowing her brow. "I've never had to slay anything that had parents before."

"Everyone has parents, love," Spike reminded her gently. "It's just that in our world their vamped offspring tend to do them in before the families have time to mourn."

Mayor Stevenson appeared shocked. "You mean in the world you came from, vampires kill their own families?"

"In most cases," Spike said tightly. "I think our demons might be a little stronger than yours. You wouldn't see any turned kids running to Mum for sympathy in our world."

"Oh dear." The mayor sipped her tea while she absorbed this information, then she glanced up at Buffy's troubled face. "Then you won't have any problem staking someone your age or younger?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. I can handle it. Back in Sunny—my hometown—it wasn't uncommon for me to have to stake vamps that I'd gone to high school with. I even almost had to stake a child once, but An—my boyfr—a friend did it for me."

She glared at Spike who hadn't been at all fooled by her stammering, and who had muttered loud enough for the other woman to hear, "Bloody poof probably enjoyed it."

Turning her attention back to the older woman, Buffy asked, "Is this normal? For you to have so many young vampires in your city? In Winterset it seems like the vamps are pretty careful who they turn. They don't do a lot of random vamping."

The mayor shrugged. "We've never had quite this many before. I'm not sure what happened. Maybe an older vamp turned one boy and he went after all his friends? I don't know why we ended up with so many boys the same age all vamped at the same time, but it's like an epidemic." She glanced up at a sound from the hallway. "Oh, hello, honey. Come in and meet our guests," she said to a lanky teenager wearing a high school jacket. "This is my youngest son, Jason," she said, smiling fondly at the boy.

Buffy smiled at the embarrassed young man and waggled her fingers at him. "Hi, I'm Buffy," she said. "And this is Spike. We're just visiting here for a few days."

He nodded and smiled pleasantly, but didn't come any farther into the room. Spike abandoned his intent to shake hands, sinking back into the cushions and nodding instead.

"You must be pretty important visitors if my mom's your first stop," he said, laughing. "There are a lot more interesting places to go on your first night here than our house."

Before either Spike or Buffy could explain what they were doing there, Mayor Stevenson spoke up.

"Buffy's mother and I were friends in college," she said, giving Buffy's hand a warning squeeze. "She promised her mom she would come and see me as soon as she got here. We were just finishing up our chat when you came in."

"Well, don't let me interrupt," he said with a shrug. "I'll be in my room cramming for a math test tomorrow. Nice to meet you, Buffy, Spike," he added as he turned to leave. "Let me know if you want to know where the hot spots are in town."

"It was nice to meet you, too, Jason. I hope we see you again before we leave."

Spike just nodded and raised his hand in farewell, frowning slightly as his eyes followed the boy from the room.

After receiving information about which clubs and restaurants the gangs of vamps seemed to be hanging around the most, and being told that Mayor Stevenson had made reservations for them at a seaside hotel, Spike and Buffy stood up to leave.

"Are you going to begin tonight?" she queried as she walked them to the front door.

Buffy shrugged. "Probably. We aren't expecting to have to stay very long. If these are just kids who've gotten carried away with their new power, seeing a few of their friends go 'poof' ought to give them something to think about."

Spike nodded, grinning at the woman's shudder. "Nothin' like meeting the pointy end of the Slayer's stake to ruin a bloke's night," he agreed. "Makes stayin' home and watchin' TV with the folks look mighty appealing."

Turning down Mayor Stevenson's offer to call a cab for them, they assured her that they would prefer to walk the easy couple of miles to their hotel.

"It'll give us a chance to get the feel of the city, and to maybe meet one of the gangs. Who knows? We might get lucky and get mistaken for lost tourists right away."

They waved their good-byes and walked off in the direction they'd been pointed, watched intently by their hostess. When they were out of sight, she closed the door and leaned against it briefly, then raised her head, straightened her shoulders and went to the back of the house.

She knocked twice; then pushed her son's door open, smiling when he glanced up at her.

"How's the cramming going?"

"Could be better. I'm thinking maybe I should have paid more attention last week…"

"I'm sure you'll be fine," she said, frowning at his unusual lack of confidence. "You're a very bright boy."

"I'm a jock, mom. When are you going to admit that?" He gave her a sheepish smile. "I do my best, but I'm never going to be a brain, like…"

"Don't."

He sighed and nodded. "Sorry." He waited for a few minutes then asked, "Did you want something, Mom?"

"I… no, not really. I just wanted to… to be sure you were here. That's all." She gave him a sad smile and turned to go. "Just do your best tomorrow. I'm sure you'll be fine." She paused with her hand on the door. "Jason?"

"Yeah?" He glanced back up at her.

"Stay in tonight. Okay?"

"Was planning to." He went back to his notebook, missing the relieved slump to her back as she closed the door behind her.

**Chapter Two**

"So, pet. What do you think? Is the good mayor hiding something?"

"That's your call, Mr I-can-tell-when-somebody's-lying. Did you think she was?"

Spike shrugged and thought for a minute.

"Well, she was more nervous than you might expect from someone who should have been glad to see us. And her heart went into overdrive when the boy came home."

"Huh." She watched Spike's face as they passed under a street lamp, noticing the indecision there. Giving him a poke in the side, she said, "Give it up, vampire. What else?"

Spike grinned and put his arm around her. "Can't put anything past you, can I?"

"Nope!" She popped the 'p' sound at the end of the word. "And don't you forget it, buddy."

"Wouldn't dream of it, love."

"So, what is it? And don't tell me 'nothing', 'cause I know I felt something weird."

Spike nodded.

"Something was off with the boy. He isn't quite… normal."

"He's a vamp?"

Spike shook his head.

"I don't think so. He's got a heartbeat, but it's very slow. And I'd guess if he'd shaken my hand, his wouldn't have been much warmer than mine. Don't know what to call him, but he's not a quite a real boy."

"Well, that _is_ weird. No wonder she was nervous. She was probably afraid I'd slay him." She bit her lip. "If her own kid is a sort of vamp, I wonder why she called us in? You'd think she'd want to keep me away."

By this time, they had reached the hotel and restaurant area that began a few blocks from the beach and continued down to the water's edge. They located the neon sign marking their hotel and decided to check in before exploring the nightlife going on around them.

The desk manager had been expecting them, and he greeted Buffy enthusiastically. It was soon apparent why the mayor might have been forced to bring in the Slayer, in spite of the less-than-human condition of her own son.

"Slayer! It's such an honor to have you here. I can't tell you how pleased I am that you and your…" he glanced at Spike, who was rolling his eyes at the man's obsequious performance "companion… have chosen our hotel for your stay in our city."

"I think, actually, Mayor Stevenson chose it for us, but we're happy to be here." Buffy smiled her thanks and dug an elbow into Spike's ribs. "After we find our room, I think we're going to sample some of the famous nightlife. Can you recommend a few clubs?"

The man winked and said in a whisper, "Oh, yes. I can show you where to go to find the kind of nightlife you're looking for. I can't wait for you to get started. The hotel owner has instructed us to give you every assistance."

He gestured to a bellboy, who promptly appeared at Buffy's side, frowning when he realized that the only luggage they had with them were the duffle bags over Spike's shoulder. The manager blinked, but recovered quickly.

"Johnny here will show you to your room; that's part of his job," he said, glaring at the unhappy-looking boy. "Whether you have luggage or not."

The bellboy led them to the elevators and pushed the button for the fourth floor, keeping what he obviously deemed a safe distance from Spike. Buffy tried to allay his fears, joking to Spike that his reputation had obviously preceded him. Her joke fell flat as Johnny moved even farther away from the now leering vampire.

"Lead on, John-Boy," Spike said. "Maybe I can come up with some other way for you to earn that tip, yeah?" He wiggled his eyebrows and allowed his eyes to flash amber for a second before laughing and thumping the wide-eyed boy on the back. "Just kidding, mate. I've already eaten today."

Buffy got between Spike and the clearly frightened boy, managing to sound reassuring at the same time as her glare at the laughing vampire promised serious retribution.

"He's only kidding, Johnny," she said kindly. "He thinks he's funny and I just don't have the heart to tell him he sucks at it."

"Heh," the boy replied weakly. "Here we are." He pointed to the door of their room and began to turn away.

"Hold on, mate. I'm sorry I scared you – well, no, I'm not sorry, cause it's about the only fun I get—" He dodged a half-way serious punch from Buffy, put his arms around her and nuzzled her ear until she stopped trying to squirm away. "But I really do have another way for you to earn your tip. What can you tell us about these gangs of baby vamps that are frightening off the tourists?"

Johnny glanced up and down the empty hallway, then whispered, "I have to be careful. You never know who they are. One day a guy's just another flunky here, and then the next night he's munching on the guests."

Wriggling out of Spike's grip, Buffy opened the door to their room and jerked her head for them to follow her inside. She waited, calming the still-nervous boy, while Spike walked around the suite, listening and smelling carefully. When he nodded that they were the only ones in the room, Buffy relaxed and turned to the bellboy with a smile.

"So, you know some of them?" she asked. "Were they friends of yours?"

"Well, not so much friends as co-workers… although some of them are guys who went to my high school. It just seems like there are more of them all the time."

"Have they tried to recruit you?"

"You mean has anybody tried to turn me into a vampire?" Johnny drew himself up to his full five feet five inches. "They know better than to mess with me. I can take care of myself."

Turning his back to hide a grin, Spike let Buffy continue the questions, but he whirled back when Johnny said casually, "I'm surprised Mayor Stevenson finally asked you to come. She's been fighting the hotel and club owners for months."

"She has? Why? Why didn't she want the Slayer here?"

"I'm not sure. But she argued against it at every town meeting. I've heard the owners complaining about her. Everybody's losing money now that word is getting out about our problem."

Buffy and Spike exchanged looks, remembering his assessment of the boy they'd met.

"Do you know the mayor's kids, John?" Buffy asked casually. "Doesn't she have a boy about your age?"

He made a face. "Jason Stevenson doesn't go to a public high school like I did. He goes to that private school that a lot of the vamps go—went—to. So did his brother, I think. He was more my age, or maybe a little older. I'm a high school graduate, you know," he added with an aggrieved pout, once again standing up as tall as he could.

"We met Jason tonight. But we didn't talk much. What can you tell us about him or the other brother?"

"Jason's still at his fancy private high school He's some kind of a jock – in the paper all the time. That's why I know about him. The other one's… I don't know. I guess he's in college somewhere. He's supposed to be some kind of a brainiac. I don't think I've ever seen him except maybe a picture in the paper or something."

"But you don't know him," Buffy pursued. "You don't know if he's one of the vamps?"

Johnny shrugged. "No. I don't know him, but I think somebody would have said if they saw him." He thought for a second. "Of course, most people who get that close to the vamp gangs end up dead or turned, so it's not like they'd be telling, is it?"

"Not likely," Buffy agreed. "Okay, John, thanks for the information." The young man beamed at her use of his more adult name, turning to leave the room. Buffy cleared her throat and glared at Spike until he opened his wallet and handed the boy some bills.

Johnny smiled his thanks and let himself out the door, leaving Spike and Buffy to ponder what they'd learned so far.

Buffy rummaged through the bag Spike had tossed on the bed, pulling out the dressier pants and top that she'd brought. As she casually changed her clothes, smiling at his open admiration when she took her shirt off, she asked, "What do you think? All the boys came from the private school at first – and now they're turning other kids. Do you think it's some kind of gang initiation?"

"Not a soddin' clue, love. Could be some Master wannabe is collecting minions, but if so, he's not doin' a very good job of keeping them under control."

"Well, if the 'Master' is a kid himself, he probably has no idea how run a… what do you call it? Family? Clan?"

Spike shook his head and walked over to zip up the back of her low-cut red blouse.

"Family is just those directly related to you – and turned with being family in mind. It's a bit different, turning someone you intend to bring into your family than it is just creating another vamp. And a clan is made up of all the families going back to one or two original vamps of that line. These kids haven't been at this long enough to create either one of those things – even if they knew enough to think about it."

Buffy pulled on a pair of boots that looked dressy, but had sturdy heels and hard toes. She could fight or dance in them, and even run if it became necessary. She pirouetted for Spike, asking, "What do you think? Do I look like a tourist?"

"You look good enough to eat," he said with a leer. "If anything would bring out a healthy teenaged boy vamp, it should be that outfit."

Buffy slipped a thin, but very strong, stake into the small of her back, using the looser bottom of the blouse to hide it. She had a knife in one of her boots, holy water in her purse, and an extra stake in the false lining.

Spike patted his pockets to be sure that the extra stakes were still there, then gestured towards the door. "After you, my lady."

"Are you armed?"

"Always, love." He flashed his fangs and flexed his fingers, running one claw lightly down her cheek. "And don't forget that. The vamps always have their weapons with them. Even the baby vamps."

"Yes sir, Watcher, sir," she giggled, preceding him out the door and switching her hips as she walked to the elevator.

"Just want to be sure that cute little arse stays in one piece," he growled, stepping into the elevator with her. "You're a bit too cocky sometimes."

**Chapter Three**

After some advice from the concierge on which clubs seemed to be most likely to lose guests from time to time, they went out into the relatively balmy night air and headed for the first club on their list.

"How do you want to play this, love? If we go in together, it'll be obvious you're with me, and as soon as the bitty bads get close enough to realize what I am, they'll back off."

"I know," she pouted. "I was looking forward to dancing with you, but I guess I'd better stay away if I want to catch flies with my honey."

"I find any flies touching your honey – they're gonna wish you'd staked them…" he growled, pushing her ahead of him towards the entrance to the club.

Buffy's laugh tinkled back to him as she dazzled the bouncer with her smile and easily gained access to the noisy club. She left Spike outside to find his own way in, and quickly melted into the crowd of pleasure-seekers. She got herself a drink and began to walk around the room, smiling when spoken to, but not stopping to talk to anyone. Very few of the patrons looked like they were young enough to be high school, although there were some who appeared to be college-aged.

She finally settled on to a bar stool and nursed her drink until she felt the unmistakable tingle that said '"vampire." She turned her head slowly, as if scanning the room for someone, seeking the source of the vibes. She saw Spike's bright head at the far end of the bar, but quickly dismissed the tingles coming from his familiar signature. Failing to find anything else remotely vampire-like, she turned back to her drink, only to be startled by the presence of someone on the stool beside her.

"Eeep!" She grabbed at her drink, which she'd almost knocked over in her surprise.

"I'm sorry," the shy-looking young man next to her said hurriedly. " I didn't mean to frighten you."

"No, it's all right. I just didn't hear you walk up. It's so loud in here…"

They exchanged smiles, then Buffy went back to her drink, flicking her eyes at Spike to be sure he hadn't moved. They drank quietly for a moment, then her seatmate said uncertainly, "I couldn't help but notice that you were looking around the room. Are you meeting someone?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yes, one of my friends was supposed to meet me here tonight. It's why I came to this club. But I guess she must have found something else to do…"

"That's too bad. But, hey! Maybe it's lucky for me. I don't know anyone in here either. We could… maybe… keep each other company?"

Buffy met his innocent gaze and tried to hide her dismay. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and yet, he was setting off her slayer radar. Not in the same way that Spike did, but definitely alerting her to his lack of humanity. She remembered what Spike had said about the Mayor's son and studied her companion a little closer, noting his normal pink coloring and nervous sweat. She rested her hand on his just long enough to pick up on the fact that it was not as warm as hers, then took it back quickly.

"I'd like that," she said with a smile. "I feel really uncomfortable sitting in a bar all by myself."

"Would you prefer to move to a table?" he asked eagerly.

Buffy nodded and followed him to a small table at the back of the room. She glanced at Spike again, relaxing when she felt his eyes on her. As long as he knew where she was and could see her, she wasn't worried that he'd give them away by tearing through the crowd looking for her.

After an hour of desultory conversation, during which Buffy was sure they were both lying through their teeth, James – for that was the young man's name – suggested that since neither of them seemed to be the type for loud clubs, they might want to go down the street to a quieter restaurant that he knew about and have a late supper.

Completely bored with what was not happening where they were, Buffy readily agreed and stood up. She glanced at the bar and saw that Spike was already on his feet and moving towards the door. Smiling, she allowed James to steer her outside and onto the sidewalk. There was no sign of Spike, but Buffy could feel him nearby.

She and James strolled down the walk, Buffy keeping enough distance between them that there was no chance he would take her hand or put his arm around her. She knew her mate too well to expect him to let something like that slide, and she didn't want poor James to be terrified. Although he was clearly not all human, he also seemed to be harmless and lonely, and Buffy didn't want to cause him any unnecessary harm.

Not until they came to an alley and he tried to turn her into it, anyway. When she balked, mentally re-evaluating her opinion of him, he hung his head and shuffled his feet, saying, "It's safe. I promise you. It's just that the restaurant is at the other end of this alley and I thought it would be easier on you with those high heels to take a short cut. We can walk around the block, if you'd prefer."

Ashamed of what she'd been thinking, Buffy blushed. "No, it's fine. I'm sorry. It's just… where I come from, walking into an alley with somebody you just met – male or female – isn't a very good idea."

"Well, I'm sure I'm safe," he said with a smile. "No one as pretty as you are could possibly be dangerous."

Buffy smiled weakly and nodded, not sure that she hadn't heard a choked laugh from the rooftop above them.

They'd gone only a third of the way down the alley – which Buffy was surprised to notice was actually pretty well-lit – when a soft sound behind her alerted her to another presence. She whirled, ignoring the gasp from her companion, to find a boy who looked to be no more than fourteen or fifteen smiling at her. As several other boys dropped almost soundlessly to the pavement, she smiled with satisfaction.

"Hi, guys!" she said in her best "blonde" voice. "I was hoping you'd show up."

A few of the smarter young vampires frowned at this unusual display of fearlessness, but most of them just broadened their grins and let their fangs show. If they were aware that their world now contained something called a "Slayer", or that said slayer lived only a few hours away by train, it didn't seem to have occurred to them just yet. They moved to surround Buffy, shoving her companion to the ground when he tried to protest, but making no attempt to bite him. Buffy looked over her shoulder at James and hissed, "Run, you idiot!"

She turned her head back in time to see the boy, now right in front of her, grin at her escort and wave his hand.

"Yeah, you've done your part," he sneered. "Run away now."

Buffy didn't have time for anything but a disappointed glare at the cowering man before she had to concentrate on the much-too-cocky vampire now running one hand up her arm and saying with exaggerated bravado, "You're so pretty, I might just keep you." Had it not been for his distorted face and the fangs, it would have been laughable to see a boy his age coming on so strongly to an obviously older and uninterested woman.

Buffy rolled her eyes, and without bothering to quip, landed an uppercut to his jaw that sent him flying back into his friends. Still not realizing what they were looking at, two equally oblivious boys jumped her at the same time. Buffy ducked their well-coordinated attack at the last second, allowing them to collide with each other; and, while they were recovering, she pulled the stake from her waistband and plunged it into first one, then the other.

Before the dust was settled, she had spun into action against the remaining vamps, using her feet and the stake to whittle down their numbers. The two suspicious ones that had held back whirled to escape, only to find another vampire blocking their way.

"Get out of the way, asshole!" one shouted, shoving Spike's chest. "We've got to get out of here!"

"Don't think so, mate," he replied, catching the offending hand and gradually bending it backwards. "Slayer's not done with you, yet."

His other arm shot out and clothes-lined the second young vampire, sending him to the pavement with ease. Still holding on to his first victim, he continued to apply pressure to the now-screaming boy's wrist until Buffy, who had dusted all the others, said quietly, "Spike, quit playing with them and just do it."

"You're no fun, Slayer," he grumbled as he pulled a stake from his pocket and put the boy out of his misery. He yanked the other one off the ground, but before he could dust him also, Buffy said, "Wait!"

She walked up to the terrified boy dangling from Spike's hand and studied him for a minute. Without his game face, he looked like any other middle or high school boy, maybe a little paler than you might expect from one living in a resort town, but pretty normal-looking. She cocked her head at him.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I know _what _you are," he snarled. "We were warned about you."

"Really? You were warned?" She smiled. "That's kinda cool." She twirled her stake. "I guess you didn't listen, then, huh?"

"We didn't know… nobody said you could…"

Spike came to his rescue. "Nobody told you the Slayer would be a little girl who could kick all your arses without mussing her hair? Seems like they left out some important information."

The boy nodded, becoming hopeful as the two very strong adults facing him seemed more interested in talking to him than staking.

"Who warned you?" Buffy asked abruptly. "Who told you I was coming?"

If anything, the boy's face became paler and he shook his head vigorously. Even the shake that Spike used to rattle his teeth couldn't change his mind. It was obvious that there was something or someone that he feared more than he did the certain death in front of him.

"Give me an hour or so, pet," Spike said with a growl. "I'll get some answers out of him."

Buffy shook her head, shocked to see what seemed to be tears standing in the boy's eyes.

"We don't torture children," she said, lifting her stake. "We'll find out some other way." As the stake plunged toward his chest, the boy cried, "Tell my mother I lo—"

His dust floated down to join the rest of the group's remains, leaving only Spike and Buffy standing in the alley. Spike's ears could pick up the sound of James' feet as Buffy's would-be date fled the scene as fast as he could. He made note of the direction in which the strange man had gone, but his immediate concern was the girl standing in front of him.

"You all right, pet?" he asked anxiously. "You know that wasn't really a kid, right? The demon in there has probably been around for a long time."

"I'd like to make myself believe that, Spike. But you know what things are like in this world. That boy wanted us to tell his mother he loves her. These aren't normal vamps. They're kids that some jerk has turned into monsters and I want to know who did it and why."

The melancholy that had been so evident just seconds before was gone and in its place was the narrow-eyed determination with which Spike was only too familiar.

"We'll find him, love," he assured her. "There's something more going on here than just a bunch of kids making bloodsuckers out of each other."

They started walking, continuing in the same direction that Buffy and James had been going, but they saw no more vampires, young or old, and eventually returned to their hotel.

The concierge looked at them hopefully, smiling when Spike gave him a thumbs up sign, then held up his fingers to indicate how many vampires Buffy had staked. He insisted that they take a bottle of the hotel's best champagne up to the room with them, assured them that housekeeping would respect the hours they would be keeping and that no one would come in to clean the room until well after 2:00 in the afternoon, or later.

"I could get used to this," Spike said, swinging the bottle by its neck and holding the elevator door for Buffy. "I think the best thing about this world – other than that you're here, of course – is the way they know how to appreciate me."

"_I _appreciate you," she pouted, then wrinkled her nose. "And, anyway, I earned that champagne, not you. All you did was stop them from leaving. I'm pretty sure that's _my _bottle." She made a playful grab for the bottle, which Spike was now holding up in the air. Instead of jumping for it as he expected, Buffy slid her hand up his thigh and grabbed the immediately responsive body part resting there.

"You're cheating!" he complained even as he pushed into her hand and lowered the bottle so as to put both arms around her.

They jerked apart when the elevator door opened to admit another couple. Buffy and the other woman exchanged brief smiles; then faced the front until the doors opened at their floor. With a nod, Spike waited for Buffy to exit the car, then he followed her out with a swagger.

"You're impossible," she grumbled, trying not to smile at his cocky smirk.

"Hey, wasn't me grabbing at someone's dangly bits. All you had to do was ask, you know."

Their banter came to a halt as they saw the figure slumped before the door of their room. They were just quick enough to catch a glimpse of the fire door closing at the end of the hall, and Spike immediately sprinted to the end of the hallway, bursting through the door and listening for steps to tell him which way the assailants had gone. Footsteps, too soft and rapid to be human, went in both directions, leaving him to snarl in indecision. He came back from the fire stairs shaking his head and paused where Buffy was leaning over a bleeding Johnny.

"Not human, Slayer," he growled. "They were too fast for that. Probably could have caught up or tracked them, but I—"

"No!" she interrupted. "You did right to come back. I don't want us getting separated here until we have some idea what we're dealing with. Help me get him inside," she added, picking the semi-conscious boy up and swiping her key. Spike took the boy from her and carried him into the room, placing him gently on the bed.

"His heartbeat's fine," he said, assessing the visible damage. "If they were trying to kill him, they didn't do enough damage to leave the corpse I'd guess they were hoping you'd find."

Buffy grabbed the first aid kit that was always in her bag, and began to clean and bandage the wound on Johnny's neck. The expression on her face did not bode well for the health of his attackers, and Spike stepped back to admire his woman. Competent, caring and more than capable of avenging the damage done to their new informant, she quickly had the bite wound cleaned and bandaged and was holding a glass of water for the boy to drink.

"Come on, Johnny," she coaxed. "You need to replace those fluids."

His eyes fluttered open, widening in fright until he realized who was holding him, then gratefully gulping down the offered drink. When he'd drained two full glasses of water and a small amount of color had begun to return to his face, Buffy allowed him to slump back against the pillows. His eyes closed again, his chest rose and fell smoothly and easily while Buffy frowned at him.

"Do you think he needs to go to the hospital?"

Spike shook his head. "I think he'll be okay, love. Gonna need a day off work probably, and some good hearty meals, but I don't think he needs transfusing."

Buffy bowed to Spike's hundred years of knowledge about how close to death a human could come and recover - without allowing herself to really think about how he had become such an expert. She'd only known him as the helpful companion who had been forced to join her in this strange world, and rarely thought about his many years as a lethal predator before he'd met and been tamed by her other self.

"Okay," she said dubiously. "If you're sure…"

"I'm sure," he said shortly; no more interested in reminding her of why he could be so certain than she was in hearing it. "Lock the door behind me," he instructed, moving towards the exit. "I'm going downstairs to tell his boss what happened and that he won't be at work for a while. Maybe he'll have some ideas about where we should look for the—"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door, and moved quickly to stand behind it as Buffy said, "Who is it?"

"It's… it's me. James. From the club?"

**Chapter Four**

Buffy and Spike shared incredulous looks, his eyes flaring amber and his fangs elongating at the nerve of the man who'd led Buffy into an alley to what was supposed to have been her death. She held a finger to her lips, shushing the growl she could sense bubbling in his throat, and pointed to the bathroom. Spike stomped to the small room and stood just inside the door, glaring his lack of agreement.

"Just a minute," Buffy said, waving him back out of sight and checking Johnny to be sure he was still breathing. Satisfied that the room was as non-threatening as one containing a bleeding man and a slayer could be, she opened the door and stared at the man fidgeting on the other side.

"Yes? What do _you_ want?" Her eyes held no warmth as she waited for his answer. "And how did you know where I was staying?"

"I…" He looked around nervously. "I… could I come in? I don't want to be seen talking to you."

Ignoring the snarled "Bloody hell!" from the bathroom, Buffy met his nervous gaze.

"Why would I let you into my room?" she asked, her narrowed eyes widening in surprise. "And why would you want to come in here? Do you know what I am?"

He nodded vigorously. "I do. I saw you – what you did to… and then I called… and… I know who you are."

"Then you've got to know that A – I could kill you, and B – that you aren't on my list of favorite people right now. And, just in case you didn't get it the first time… C – I could kill you."

"But you… they… I mean. You killed _them_. The vampires. All of them?" His voice rose in query and Buffy remembered that he'd run off at some point during the fight. "So, I didn't really hurt you, did I?" He sounded genuinely anxious and concerned, but Buffy still stared at him with suspicion.

"You didn't know I was going to be able to fight my way out of that ambush," she said, still blocking the doorway with her hard glare and unforgiving stance. "You thought you'd led me to slaughter. Tell me, James, how many other girls have you led down that alley for those boys?"

"No… none. Never. I swear! I was sent to get you. Just you. I've never done that before. And I didn't know they were going to be there – I thought—"

"Who sent you?" Her voice was sharp and he flinched, looking around anxiously.

"Please, I'll tell you everything, I promise. But I can't stay out here. If he hears that I—"

"He who?" Curiosity piqued, Buffy stood aside and muttered a "Come in". She watched as the man skittered across the threshold, coming to an abrupt halt when he saw Johnny lying on the bed.

"What happened to him?" he gasped.

"Another one of your little gangs of juvenile delinquent vamps," Buffy snapped. "Now tell me what's going on here or meet my newly dust-free stake." She waved the object in front of his face, smiling with satisfaction when he cringed. "I'm guessing this will work just as well on you as any other vampire."

"I'm not a real vampire," he said, eying the stake cautiously. "I'm just a… a helper."

"A helper?"

He nodded. "There are a bunch of us. We're not vampires – well, we're sort of like vampires, I guess – but we can do human things. Go out in the daylight. Enter houses. Stuff like that. My heart beats, I breathe—"

"So, James. How did you become a 'helper'? And why do the vampires here need helpers?"

"Vampires don't have helpers in Winterset? Or in your world?" He evaded the question, while at the same time admitting that he knew more about her than she'd expected him to.

"Demons don't need 'help' in our world." The voice held all the menace and power of a descendent from the ancient line of Aurelius, and James cringed against the door, his face draining of all color as he watched Spike stalk from the bathroom. His eyes were riveted on Spike's true face and he had no trouble understanding that this very different vampire might be the real danger in the room.

"Spike, stop it," Buffy huffed, shocking the already awestruck quasi-human by walking over and fearlessly poking Spike on the arm. "You're scaring him."

"Kinda the idea, Slayer," he grumbled, dropping his fierce mien and raising a disapproving eyebrow at her.

Buffy shook her head at his posturing and turned back to James. She gestured to a chair near the bed, and seated herself on the coverlet.

"Have a seat, James, and tell us about these 'helpers'. What do you do besides lead unsuspecting women into vamp gangs?"

"I'm… I'm really sorry about that," he mumbled. "I mean, I have to do what I'm told, but he's never asked me for anything like that before. And I really didn't know they were going to jump you. I thought I was just taking you to meet Mor—somebody."

Spike snorted in disbelief, earning another glare from Buffy before she turned her back and responded gently. "So, what _do_ you do for them then? "

"Well…" He glanced nervously at Spike before replying. "We can go out in the daylight, so if it's too sunny for them we run errands, do shopping, stuff like that. And I helped him with—" He stopped abruptly.

"Errands? Shopping?" Spike sank down beside Buffy with a groan. "We do away with old Batface and in a few years it's come to this?"

James frowned. "Yes, errands. I can do things the real vampires can't, like… like get close to the Slayer, without—"

"James, I knew you weren't human. I didn't know what you were exactly, but I knew it wasn't completely human."

"You did? But then, why…"

"I'm here to take care of the gangs. Staying away from anybody who gave off vampire vibes wouldn't exactly help me find them, would it?" She grinned at James; then turned to Spike for confirmation. "He could pass for human if you weren't a vampire, though, couldn't he?"

Spike nodded. "They remind me a bit of the half-human, half-demons I've met back in our world. I imagine there're more of those here where the demons don't have to hide what they are and can mingle with the rest of the population."

"Half-demons?" Buffy forgot about James as she stared at Spike. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"It's pretty rare, love. Most species are too different to produce children with humans, even if they do hook up. Usually takes a bit of magic or something to make it work. And I don't imagine many of them would be seeking out the Slayer to show off their sprogs," he added wryly.

She turned back to James. "Is that what you are? Half vamp and half human?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, no. I'm… I was… completely human. There's…" He looked at Spike quickly. "There's this guy who can do… I know it sounds silly… but, he can do magic." He frowned, a keen intelligence shining from his uncertain eyes. "At least, he claims it's magic. I'm not so sure… the things he asked me to explain to him…" His voice trailed off as he appeared to tune them out briefly.

"It doesn't sound silly to us," Buffy encouraged. "There's a lot of magic back in our world. One of my best friends is a very powerful witch. And even Spike—" A shake of Spike's head stopped her before she could mention that he reluctantly, if rarely, used magic when it seemed they might need it.

"Really? Wow, that's just… really creepy," he finished with an apologetic shrug. "I mean the guy I'm talking about is… evil… and mean… and you're saying your best friend does magic?"

"Back on topic, James." Buffy glared at him, offended on Willow's behalf at his calling magic 'creepy'. "What does this guy's 'magic' do?"

"He… when you get bitten, if they take you to him before you… you…" He floundered for appropriate words.

"Die," Spike said flatly. "The word you're looking for is 'die'."

"Yeah, that. Before it happens, he makes you drink something – some magic potion that he invented and mixes with blood. It keeps you from turning into a complete vampire somehow."

"This 'guy'," Buffy said. "Is he a vamp? Or some kind of demon?"

James shook his head. "I don't know. I think… I think he's one of us. But I'm not sure. I just know that the real vampires are afraid of him, and the rest of us have no choice if we don't want to die. He stays pretty distant from everybody most of the time. He doesn't talk to us much unless he's giving orders."

"And your orders were to bring in the Slayer?" Spike growled his question, causing James to shrink back again. He nodded and shot an apologetic glance at Buffy.

"He said she was alien – and evil, and that she would try to kill us… all of us. That she comes from a world where there aren't any vampires left because the slayers have killed them all. He said it was important that he meet her and explain about us and how she should leave us alone because we aren't really vampires."

"Sendin' a gang of minions to kill her seems like a bloody stupid way to convince her he's harmless," Spike growled.

James shifted his feet uncomfortably. "I didn't really expect them to be there – or to jump us like that. I thought I was taking her to meet him so he could talk to her. I'm sorry," he added with another apologetic smile at Buffy. "I really did think they were just there as an escort – if I'd—"

Buffy waved her hand. "No harm done," she said dismissively. "They're all dust and now he knows more than he probably wanted to about me." She stretched and eyed the bed upon which Johnny was just now stirring. "I guess some sleep before I hit the sidewalks and start looking for this guy is out of the question…"

"You're not going looking for that wanker without me," Spike growled.

"I'll be fine," Buffy snapped. "I thought we were long past that watching every move I make stuff. I'm the Slayer. I can also walk around in the nice sunny days this place is famous for. I won't put myself in any danger; I'm just going to try to find out where he is and maybe reason with him."

She turned her attention back to James. "You _do _know where he is, don't you?"

He shook his head. "Not really, no. I was unconscious when they took me to him to be... saved—" Spike's snorted "Saved?" earned him another glare from Buffy. "It was underground somewhere – like in a big cavern, only with lights and furniture. I've only been back once to help him with some chemistry stuff; and I was blindfolded."

"Are there any caves around here?" Spike asked, remembering Clem's comfortable home near Winterset. "Looks a bit flat for that."

James shook his head again. "I didn't think so. This is a beach town – all flat and sandy until you get pretty far away from it." He gave Buffy another apologetic shrug. "He usually meets us in an old school if he wants to tell us something. The only other time I was in the cavern was when he wanted me to help him with some kind of chemical experiment." He gave Buffy a quick glance. "That's why – not that I'm saying you're lying about your friend – but that's why I'm not sure it's magic he's using. He had formulas and books, and he was asking me to check his math, and…"

"Why would he ask you?"

James shrugged and shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Well, I… we kind of… we went to the same high school and college. He's older than me, and we weren't ever friends, but he knows I know a lot about some stuff. Just not caves," he added, seeming embarrassed to admit it. "My field was more chemistry than geology – I know the sea used to be much bigger, but—"

There was a strangled sound from the bed and all eyes turned to Johnny, now sitting up and clutching his throat.

"There are caverns underground," he managed to choke out. "On the north side of town, away from the beaches. They were carved out of rock a long time ago when the sea was bigger and came further inland. I don't know how you'd get into them, though. I don't think the entrances are visible anymore."

Buffy gave Johnny an impressed smile, asking quietly, "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck," he admitted. He glanced at Spike. "Am I a vampire now?"

"Hah," Spike scoffed. "Not even close. All you were was lunch."

Looking slightly offended, Johnny turned his gaze back to Buffy. "I can show you where the caverns are probably located," he said. "Maybe not right this minute, but…"

"That's okay," she assured him. "We'll get some food and more liquids into you. You can show us as soon as you feel better."

She stood up and stretched. "In the meantime, if I don't have to go looking for this guy right now, I think I'm going to have a nap and then investigate the beach."

"Investigate it for what?" Spike's sharp question was echoed by the curious expressions on the faces of the younger men.

"Um… sand? Sunshine? Warmth? You know, all those things we don't get much of in Winterset?"

"Ah. You can take the slayer out of California…"

"But you can't take the California out of the slayer," Buffy finished for him. "Since I don't need to go searching around randomly for the bad guy, I might as well soak up some sun while we're here. Maybe by tonight Johnny will feel up to showing us where to start looking."

"In the meantime, Slayer, what are we going to do with these gits? I can't say I fancy all four of us sharing our bed…" Spike glared at the two suddenly nervous men.

Johnny raised his hand weakly. "The hotel has a dorm for employees who need to get some sleep in between shifts. You know, like if you work a big party that doesn't end until sometime in the morning, and you have to be back to work by noon? It's just easier to stay here and sleep than it is to go home and come back." He fumbled at the bandage on his neck. "If this has stopped bleeding…"

"It hasn't," Spike said flatly, reminding them all that he was one of the creatures they hunted. "Can smell it from here – all fresh and…"

"I can go home," a pale-faced James said quickly. "I don't need to be here anymore, do I?"

Spike turned amber eyes on the clearly frightened 'vampire helper'. "And why would I let you do that?" he inquired softly. "You were taking my mate to somebody who wants to kill her. Why would I let you walk out?"

"Let him go, Spike," Buffy said with a weary sigh. "He's the least of our worries right now – and no harm was done. We dusted a whole gang of vamps that we probably wouldn't have found without him." She turned a flinty stare on the visibly relieved man. "But don't think I'm going to forget that you lied to me," she said. "You could have just told me what you were and what you were supposed to do."

James nodded vigorously. "I know. I know. It was wrong of me. I see that now. But he would have killed me if I hadn't followed orders."

Spike's snarl reminded him that there was at least one vampire in the city who wanted to kill him because he had, and James cringed against the door, wondering if he was fast enough to get out of it and away before Spike could catch him.

"He would have killed you? You're sure?"

James kept one eye on Spike while he responded to Buffy. "He controls his minions – they aren't allowed to live at home anymore after they join his gang. And they're afraid of him, so he must have some kind of a hold over them like the one he has over us. I don't know what it is, but he's got something."

"Are you sure he would have killed you if you hadn't followed orders? Maybe he's just got everybody fooled into thinking he's dangerous."

"Well, he could kill me in the sense that he has the magic potion that keeps me alive," James admitted. "If we don't get it at least once a week, we'll keep slowing down until we can't move anymore. If that happens, people will think we're dead and we'll be buried alive." His face made it very clear what he thought of that scenario.

"No," Spike said in disgust. "You'll be buried _dead, _you stupid git. And then you'll dig your way out of the grave just like a proper vampire would."

Spike looked at Buffy and curled his lip. "Sounds like our big bad has found a way to arrest the process and convinced these wankers he's the only thing keeping them alive." He shook his head. "Not a bad scheme, as evil schemes go, I guess…"

"You mean…I _am _a vampire?"

Buffy nodded sympathetically. "I'd say so, James. That's why you set off my radar. This guy you're so afraid of has come up with a way to keep you almost alive – for as long as he needs you. But he's probably just postponing the inevitable."

James looked even paler as he listened, finally mumbling, "I'd like to go now, if you don't mind," as he opened the door. "I have to tell my… family."

When Spike made no move to stop him, he quickly squeezed out the partially open door and ran off down the hall, not even pulling it completely closed behind him. With a disgusted look, Spike slammed the door shut and turned his glare on Johnny.

"Think you can make it to this 'dorm' by yourself?" he asked, his tone much less gruff than his words.

Johnny nodded and stood up, swaying for a few seconds before catching his balance.

"I… I think so," he said, taking a few tottering steps.

"Spike…"

"I'm on it, sweetheart. Why don't you get that nap you wanted and I'll let myself back in when I've seen to lunch here."

"Let us know when you feel strong enough to take us to the area with the caves," Buffy said kindly.

Johnny nodded and whispered, "I'll have to take a day off…"

"I'll take care of that," Spike said. "You just get your strength back and don't be worrying about work for awhile. Your boss owes us."

With a whispered, "Goodnight", Johnny followed Spike to the door, pausing before he followed him out of the room. "I'm not sure," he said slowly, looking back and forth between the two, "but I think that guy might be the mayor's oldest son. I saw his picture in the paper when he graduated from high school." Spike and Buffy exchanged looks as Spike led Johnny out the door and down the hall to the elevators. The vampire's quick support when Johnny seemed to be swaying again, made it clear that he really was planning to escort the boy to safety and Johnny relaxed as they made their way to the room behind the kitchen where the staff could crash whenever they needed to.

As soon as Spike had ascertained that the area was fairly busy and that Johnny wasn't likely to be alone often, he said goodnight and hurried back to Buffy. He paused only to instruct the night manager that his head bellboy would be helping them for a few days and was not to be fired or docked if he wasn't at work. The man assured him that the entire staff was at their service if necessary and that he would leave notes for the other shift managers to that effect.

Spike slipped quietly into the room, undressing silently when he saw that Buffy was already asleep. He gave a mental groan as his internal sense of time told him that daybreak was only a couple of hours away, then remembered that Buffy would be the one going out during the day. He could remain comfortably in bed with the dark curtains on the windows blocking the sun. Feeling much happier, he slid into bed and wrapped himself around the girl sleeping there. He smiled when she automatically snuggled back into his body, and he drifted off to sleep with his nose buried in her hair.

**Chapter Five**

He awoke long after dawn, to find that Buffy was already up and putting on her bathing suit. He admired all the bare flesh she was slathering with sun block; flesh that, in this normally chilly climate, she rarely displayed outside of the privacy of their bedroom.

"Been planning for this all along, have you?" he asked, laughing at the caught expression on her face.

"I just thought I should be prepared for anything," she sniffed, pulling a loose pair of sweatpants and a shirt over the bikini. "You're just jealous because I'm going to be getting a suntan and you aren't."

"Right you are, pet," he said with a yawn. "You'll be out there getting your knickers full of sand and I'll be up here snoozing away. That's me – jealous."

He rolled over and put the pillow over his head, mumbling, "Have fun, love. Don't get sunburned," as she went out the door.

Buffy grabbed a bagel and a banana from the breakfast bar in the lobby and ventured out into the unusually warm and sunny day. The incongruity of being in a town called Shadyside while heading out to enjoy the sun made her giggle.

_I wonder if Spike would mind if we moved here, _she mused, enjoying the warmth soaking into her scalp and the soft breeze on her face. For the first time in months, she felt a spasm of homesickness – not just for the people she'd left behind, but for the sunny weather and warmth that she'd taken for granted the first sixteen years of her life.

She walked along the concrete 'boardwalk' for some distance, lost in thoughts of Sunnydale, her mother and her high school friends – so wrapped up in her thoughts that she never noticed the small group of boys trailing her at a distance that made them all but invisible. Even when she turned and began walking back towards the hotel and its inviting sandy beach, she didn't notice the tiny figures in the distance as they ducked behind buildings and into walkways between hotels.

Waving at the girl selling drinks and snacks near the sand's edge, Buffy walked out until she found a stretch of beach with no one nearby. She spread the towel she'd taken from the room and settled herself comfortably on the warm sand. Within minutes, she'd drifted off to sleep, unaware of the change in personnel going on behind her at the drink stand.

An hour of napping, a quick dip in the still-too-cold water, and Buffy was ready for something to eat and drink. She left her towel where it was, pulled her sweatshirt over her head and walked to the refreshment stand, showing her empty hands as she approached.

"I didn't bring any money with me," she explained with a smile, indicating her pocket-less sweatshirt. "Can I just bill it to my room?"

"Sure. No problem, miss," the young man behind the stand said. "What would you like?"

Buffy gave him her order, turning to gaze at the rapidly clouding sky while he poured her soft drink and placed her sandwich on a napkin. The dropping temperatures made her shiver, and she attributed the chill on the back of her neck to the sudden lack of warm sun.

"There goes my sunny day," she grumbled, smiling her thanks and taking a long swallow of the drink. She'd eaten two bites from the sandwich and had several more swallows of her drink before she began to notice that the world was spinning.

"Oh shit! Spike is going to be so pissed at me…" was all she had time for before the drink fell from her hand and she collapsed into the waiting arms of several young 'helpers'. While the boy manning the stand assured onlookers that she'd just had too much sun and would be fine, his friends pretended to be carrying her into the hotel, only turning to dash down the side walkway when they were out of sight.

They threw the unconscious slayer into the back of a car and sped off, congratulating themselves on their own cleverness and anticipating the praise from their "Master".

Spike awoke the first time an hour or so after Buffy had slipped out the door; he forced himself out of bed to cautiously pull back the edge of the curtain, flinching as the sunlight streamed in. Shading his eyes against the brightness, he could just make out Buffy's bright green bikini and blonde hair as she dozed on her towel. He smiled to himself as he let the curtain fall, hoping that she would remember she no longer had her southern California tan and couldn't afford to spend all day in that kind of sunlight.

When he awoke again several hours later, he could tell that the bright sunshine had already gone away. As he drank his blood, he wandered over to the window and peered out again, only to find nothing but Buffy's towel and sweatpants lying forlornly on the mostly empty beach. The lack of sunbathers and swimmers told him that the clouds had moved in long enough ago to have sent most of the tourists indoors. Where was Buffy?

Spike threw his clothes on and flew out the door barely bothering to pull it closed behind him. He arrived in the lobby just in time to see the EMTs rolling an unconscious girl out of the building. A glimpse of long dark hair assured him it wasn't Buffy, and he rounded on the newly arrived night manager.

"What happened?" he demanded, his voice more snarl than question. "And where's Bu—the Slayer?"

The man wrung his hands and shook his head. "I haven't seen Ms Summers. I just arrived and found that the girl who runs our beachside refreshment cart has been injured in some way."

"Was she bit?"

The man shook his head. "I didn't see any blood. But she's unconscious and they said they don't know if she'll be all right or not. One of her co-workers found her stuffed into a storage closet."

"That the cart that was right out there?" Spike gestured towards the beach where he'd last seen Buffy. Without waiting for an answer, he headed for the dormitory where he expected to find Johnny, only to find the much-recovered boy on his way out.

"The cave area. Take me there, now," Spike ordered, not knowing or caring if Johnny had recovered enough to point the way, let alone drive. "They have Buffy," he explained as he followed the obedient young man out of the lobby and to the covered garage.

Spike insisted on taking the wheel, leaving Johnny clinging to his seat belt as the car burst out of the garage and onto the, fortunately, not yet busy street. Between the heavy clouds, tinted windshield, and Spike's duster, he was able to drive through town with no more sun damage than an occasional puff of smoke from a hand too long exposed. Following the boy's directions, Spike sped to the north, searching for some sign that the ground under their feet was not as solid as it seemed. A slight swelling in the terrain here and there indicated that they might no longer be on a sandy plain, and he quirked an inquiring eyebrow at Johnny, who nodded back.

"Anywhere around here would be over the caverns. But like I told you, I don't know of any way in. I know there have to be some, because I've seen film of the interiors, but if there are any ways in or down, they must be inside a building."

Spike pounded the steering wheel in frustration, staring around at the bland landscape with its mix of homes and businesses. There was no way to tell which of the innocent-seeming buildings might have a cave entrance in the basement and walking around hoping to catch a whiff of Buffy's scent would take much longer than he was willing to wait.

"Damn, I hate to do this," he muttered, spinning the wheel and heading back to the hotel.

Johnny had enough sense not to ask what "this" was, he just clutched his seat belt and hoped that Spike didn't wreck his car. In no time, they were back in the garage and sprinting for the elevators. Johnny waved weakly as Spike, with an impatient grimace, indicated he was not waiting. The vampire threw open the door to the fire stairs and raced to their floor, arriving well before Johnny emerged from the elevator. Spike had left the room door ajar, allowing the puzzled bellboy to walk in.

He found the vampire rummaging through one of the duffle bags he'd carried to the room, growling in frustration until he found the book and bag he'd been searching for. He pulled the bag out and emptied the contents on the floor, searching the room with his eyes until he located the "Welcome to our city" materials on the desk.

"Grab that folder for me, will you?" he demanded, opening the book and turning to a dog-eared page. Flipping through the folder until he located the map of the city, he quickly spread it out on the floor. Gesturing to Johnny to help him hold down the edges, he pulled some herbs from his pile of strange objects, and threw them onto the map with a few hairs he'd found on Buffy's pillow. He began murmuring a spell from the book in front of him, grateful that the small amount of magical ability he'd had in their own dimension seemed to be much greater in this one. A simple locator spell was well within the realm of his abilities and it worked quickly.

While Johnny stared with amazement, a small light appeared over the blonde hairs on the map; then it began to move until it hovered over an area that, according to the map, was on the edge of a residential neighborhood, but well over the area containing the underground caverns.

"What do you think that is there?" Spike demanded. Unlike most of the businesses, which were clearly identified on the tourist guide, the residential areas had only street names to indicate where they were. There was no indication what sort of buildings might be found where the light was indicating Buffy's presence.

Johnny shrugged. "There used to be a community college around there. It moved to newer buildings over here…" He pointed to an area several blocks away from where the light still hovered. "It could be pointing to the old building. It's probably empty."

"And it probably has a big basement," Spike concluded. "Easy enough to hide a cave entrance."

He stood up and shook off the map, sighing as the light vanished.

"All right," he said. "Let's go."

"Go?"

"To get Buffy out of there," Spike explained with what he felt was admirable patience, unaware that his face had changed and he was speaking around his fangs. "You're up for that, aren't you?"

"Um… I… uh… are you sure you want me? I can't… I mean I sort of can, but… vampires?"

Spike shook his head. "Thought you said you could take care of yourself," he muttered, digging around in Buffy's bag. He pulled out a water pistol, holding it gingerly as he handed it to Johnny. "Here, put this in your pocket and be bloody careful where you point it if you have to use it." He rummaged a bit more and handed over a stake and knife.

"Maybe…" Johnny said timidly… "maybe I could do some magic? That_ is _what you did here, isn't it? Magic?"

"You can't just _do _magic, you git. You have to study it, learn the spells… and it doesn't hurt to have some talent for it. Nobody in this world even knows it exists."

"The vamps do," John said stubbornly. "That guy last night said so. He said their boss uses magic to keep them alive."

"Maybe. Maybe the wanker just wants to keep them thinking that. Point is, _you _don't know any magic, and I don't have time to teach it to you. Not that I would, anyway. Bloody well hate the stuff, myself."

"But you just used it!"

"This is an emergency," Spike said gruffly. "And, anyway, I'm Buffy's watcher – it's my job to know how to do locator spells and such. Had to learn it whether I wanted to or not. Now, let's go! Move your bloomin' arse."

With a whimper, Johnny followed Spike out of the room, once again taking the elevator while the impatient vampire ran down the stairs. By the time the elevator deposited him in the garage, Spike was waiting just outside the door, engine running and fingers tapping impatiently. The boy was barely in the car when it leapt forward, tires squealing, and headed out into the dusk.

**Chapter Six**

Deep underground, Buffy woke slowly, keeping her groggy head down while she tried to assess her situation. She grimaced when she realized she was chained to a wall of chilly stone. Damp moss covered much of the wall, softening the rock behind her back, but making her skin crawl with its fuzziness. She remained still, her head still hanging as she tried to learn more about where she was and who had her. Not that she really doubted who or what it was.

Her legs were not shackled, a mistake she sincerely hoped she would have a chance to drive home to her captors. However, her outstretched arms seemed to be firmly anchored to the wall on either side of her body. Her shoulders were aching from bearing her weight and she cautiously allowed one foot to take some of that weight and give her shoulders and arms a chance to recover.

"Take a look, men. _This_ is the Slayer," came a disgusted voice from somewhere to her right.

"She's just a girl," someone responded. Buffy could hear the cringe in his voice as he quickly backed down. "But an evil one. I can see that."

The first voice deepened. "Are you doubting me? Do you think I'm lying about what she wants to do to us?"

There was the sound of uncomfortably shuffled feet and then a tentative,

"She doesn't look like much to me."

Buffy tried to peer through her hair without letting on that she was awake. All she could see was the terror on the faces immediately in front of her. A bloodcurdling snarl from close by brought an unconscious tightening of her muscles. The snarl was followed by the sound of breaking bones; and she was soon gazing into the terrified face of a youthful looking vampire now lying, paralyzed on the floor in front of her. He was soon all that she could see as everyone around him quickly moved away.

"Does anyone else want to question my judgment?" the voice said. "If I say she's dangerous to you, she's dangerous to you. But not unbeatable. As you can see…" The voice took on a preening tone. "…my magic worked just fine on her."

Buffy's head flew up and she met the eyes now studying her with such arrogance.

"What 'magic'?" she sneered. "You just had your lackeys slip me a mickey. Could have been any one of a dozen drugs in that concoction."

"Shut up, bitch!" he hissed, moving closer and raising his hand. Now that he was close to her, and angry enough for his eyes to glow amber, Buffy could see that he was a vampire – not one of the half-dead creatures that he'd created, but the real, undead thing. He appeared to have been turned at a fairly young age – mid twenties, perhaps – but was clearly older and stronger than the youngsters he'd turned for minions.

Buffy looked around the room, which, in addition to a small group of semi-human boys and young men, contained a few more young vampires leaning against a wall and doing their best to appear unconcerned about the Slayer's presence as well as unsympathetic to their former companion. She spotted a distraught looking James in the back of the group of helpers, standing next to a boy that she was fairly sure was the mayor's younger son. James was frowning and whispering to the boys on either side of him; Buffy hoped he was telling them that she wasn't planning to kill anybody who hadn't done anything to deserve it.

Rather than do what her captor had ordered, she raised her voice and repeated her words.

"Anybody can put knock-out drops in a drink," she said. "Just like anybody can learn how to make blood that can keep a vamp alive for a little while. There's no 'magic' to it; it's just science. All you need is the formula and any of you could do it."

She took another look at the angry vampire in front of her and smiled coldly.

"And for the record, helper guys, he's not one of you," she said with rising confidence. "He's just an ordinary, garden-variety vamp that's created a bunch of minions to make himself feel like a big cheese."

The fist that crashed into the side of Buffy's face wasn't a complete surprise, but she couldn't prevent her head from impacting the wall behind her. Suddenly the soft moss didn't feel creepy anymore as she fought for consciousness and was grateful that her skull hadn't cracked.

Fortunately, mutinous muttering from the young men and boys milling around in the cavern took the would-be master's attention off the slayer. He fell into his vampire mien and tried to stare down his workers.

"You know I'm what's keeping you alive," he snarled. "Why are you listening to her? She's here to kill you. Just like I warned you. She already killed seven of my best soldiers—"

Buffy's scoffing laugh and "Those little boys were your best?" brought his attention around to her again.

"I have more," he said ominously, gesturing towards an opening that she hadn't noticed before. "You've challenged Mordor at your own peril."

Buffy's incredulous _Mordor_? went unacknowledged, although she thought she caught a snicker from somewhere in the back of the large room. All eyes turned towards the tunnel entrance at which the would-be master had gestured so theatrically.

Spike brought the car to a shuddering halt on the street outside the deserted-looking building. He cocked an eyebrow at Johnny who responded with a nod.

"This is the place that the light went to," he said. "All we need to do is find the way in."

Without responding, Spike jumped out of the car and moved towards the front door. With the boy trailing behind, looking anxiously over his shoulder at the gathering darkness, Spike walked right up to the door, studied the chain and padlock across it briefly, then kicked it completely off its hinges. Still without speaking, he strode into the dark building, pausing when he heard Johnny stumble behind him.

With a sigh, he turned around and muttered a few words, holding out his hand and the ball of light that had appeared there.

"Here," he muttered, handing it to the awestruck boy. "Just keep your hand flat and don't let it go out."

"How… how do I do that…?"

Spike shrugged. "Beats soddin hell out of me. Just think happy thoughts or something. Come on," he added, clearly not willing to take the time to provide any more instruction or information.

Following the soft light in his palm, and the swishing of Spike's coat as he jogged towards the marked stairwell, Johnny basked in the trust being placed in him. With the soft light showing the way, he was easily able to follow Spike down the stairs to the lowest levels of the basement. He was so enthralled with his portable light that he bumped right into Spike's back without noticing that he'd stopped. The soft growl sent him cringing away until he realized that it wasn't intended for him. In front of them, blocking the entrance to a ragged hole in the cement-block wall, were three of the young vampires that had attacked Johnny in the hotel.

He glared at them from the safety of his position behind Spike, wanting nothing so much as to turn around and follow his light back out into the relative safety outside.

Spike had allowed himself to fade back into his human face when he'd handed Johnny the light, so to the boys facing them, he appeared to be another human, if one slightly more confident than the young man cowering behind him.

"Spike, I don't think I can…"

"You don't have to," he said curtly. "Just watch my back."

Without further conversation, he walked up to the eager boys, jostling each other to be first at the two humans stupid enough to enter their lair. He had broken one vamp's neck before the boy even realized he was in trouble. The other two jumped Spike together, which did them no good at all, although it did extend the fight just slightly. While Spike was disposing of the guards in a silent, deadly fashion that Johnny found more chilling than the snarls coming from the younger vampires, a fourth guard emerged from the tunnel entrance. Sizing up the situation, he picked up a piece of broken steel from the debris in front of the man-made cave entrance and approached silently from behind Spike.

Taking a deep breath, Johnny pulled the water pistol from his pocket and fired it straight into the vampire's face, praying that none of the painful droplets would land on Spike. As the newly arrived vampire snarled curses and pawed at his face, Johnny grabbed the bar he'd dropped and swung it at the distracted vamp's head, sending him to his knees. Unsure of what to do with his stake, Johnny continued to pound on the vampire's bloody head and shoulders until Spike closed his hand over the re-bar, putting an end to the assault.

"I think you got him, John-boy," he said with grudging admiration.

"I watched your back."

"That you did, lad. It was a good job and I'm grateful for it." As Spike spoke, he twisted the unconscious vampire's head until it popped off and joined the dust of the ones Spike had already disposed of.

Holding up a finger for silence, Spike led the way into the inky darkness, allowing John to hold on to his coat in lieu of providing another light for him. They moved quickly but quietly down the length of the sloping corridor, reaching the end of the tunnel just as the two remaining guards stepped out into the cavern in response to their master's voice.

"I have more," said the voice from within the well-lit cavern. As Spike and Johnny carefully peered around the corner, the consternation on the master's face was clear when only two of his guards stepped into the room.

"Wha–?" He glared fiercely. "Where are the rest of you?"

"We thought we heard something, so they went back to—"

"Go find them!" Mordor cut him off and pointed imperiously.

Nodding obediently, one of the young vampires leaned back and peered into the tunnel behind them, only to disappear from sight without a sound. Buffy's grin was not visible to Mordor as he frowned at the remaining minion. However, the helpers milling around in front of her saw it and began muttering questions to each other. Only James, and the boy beside him, understood the grin for what it was.

With a tug on Jason's arm, James began inching his way along the wall, getting them as far away from the tunnel as he could. Mordor was glaring at the remaining guard. Even as he gestured for the other vampires that had been lounging against the wall to come forward, he snapped at the boy in front of the tunnel.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go see what's keeping him!"

With a cocky wave, the boy turned and entered the darkness. There was a muffled thud and his unconscious body sailed back into the cavern, landing in the open area where the injured minion was moaning quietly. All eyes were now on the only entrance and exit from the big underground room. The few additional young minions that had not started forward so quickly now retreated behind their master, hoping not to be picked next.

Buffy's grin had become a laugh, cut off when the outraged vampire wrapped his hand around her throat. He snarled his threat to kill her, as Spike, now leaning casually against the tunnel entrance and seemingly unperturbed by Buffy's apparent danger, finally made his presence known. A quick glance had shown Spike that Buffy's legs were free and that she didn't appear worried, so, with an effort, he smothered the urge to fly across the room and rip the head off the vampire that dared to touch his mate.

Buffy stared into the amber eyes, waiting until Mordor loosened his grip on her throat and lowered his head to bite before bringing her bare legs up and burying her feet in his mid-section. He flew across the room, landing at Spike's feet with a loud "oof!"

Spike's feral grin as he gradually let his true face emerge, sent the remaining youthful minions skittering back to the far end of the cavern. Even to these brand new vampires and their not-quite-vamped-yet comrades, the difference between their so-called "Master's" features and those of the century older true master he was facing was more than obvious. Unimpressed by the snarls from the demon now climbing to his feet, Spike grabbed Mordor by the throat and belt, holding him over his head effortlessly.

"I'm gonna kill you," Spike said in a conversational tone. "The question is, will it be quick – or am I going to take my time and show you what it means to have been a student of Angelus? What do you think, pet? Fast or slow?"

He glanced over at Buffy to see that James and Jason had crept past the few remaining guards and were fumbling with the manacles around her wrists. One of the would-be guards approached, taking care to remain out of range of Buffy's feet, and handed them an old iron key. They quickly opened the bands around her wrists and stepped away. Buffy flashed them a grateful smile, then turned back to Spike.

"I think we need to find out what he was giving these guys, and what's going to happen to them if they don't get it anymore," she said, meeting Spike's disappointed glare with her own determined face.

Dragging the struggling demon to the center of the room, Spike shook him.

"Well? You heard the lady. What's the bloody story?"

From his place beside Buffy, James began to move towards an alcove hidden by a curtain. He yanked the curtain aside to expose a make-shift sink, a large tank and various hoses and pipes, as well as a long table filled with beakers and vials, probably brought down from the abandoned college labs above. He pulled open a drawer in a cabinet and began searching through files and papers, mumbling to himself as he did so. Jason had opened another part of the cabinet and exposed shelves of bottles, some marked, some not.

The snarls from Mordor increased as James began to study an open folder, nodding and talking to himself. When he was satisfied, he looked up and said, "I've got the formula, and I think we can duplicate it pretty easily. The only tricky thing is that it requires a little bit of vampire blood."

"I think we've got a volunteer right here," Spike grinned. "Should be enough in this wanker to keep you alive for years."

While Buffy frowned, not completely sure if Spike was seriously considering keeping Mordor around as a blood bank, the vampire began to struggle in earnest, calling on his few remaining minions to come to his assistance. Spike ignored them, concentrating on forcing Mordor to the floor and

placing a foot on his neck. He held on to one arm, holding it at an angle which ensured that the more the vampire struggled, the more pain he inflicted upon himself.

Buffy stepped confidently between the uncertain minions and their creator.

"It's up to you, boys," she said gently. "You can try to rescue the creep who made you like this, or you can agree to stop harassing tourists and go back to your families."

"She can't take all of you!" Mordor managed to growl out as Spike continued to twist his arm. "She's not even armed, you cowards. Get her!"

Buffy shrugged, seemingly unperturbed that she was facing several vampires wearing only her bikini and a sweatshirt. She bounced on her the balls of her feel and cocked her head at them.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked. "Who wants to find out first?"

With a cocky shrug, one of the boys stepped forward. Seemingly newly turned and still wearing his high school letter jacket, he grinned with the confidence of the star athlete he'd been until very recently.

"I'm not afraid of some half-naked bitch," he said around his fangs. "I can take her…"

His leap towards the slayer ended in embarrassment as she slipped to one side and allowed his momentum to carry him past her. As he flew by, Buffy kicked one bare foot into his stomach, both halting his forward progress and doubling him over in pain. With no stakes hidden in her sweatshirt, she seemed nonplussed for a second, until Spike's soft "Here you go, luv" alerted her to the stake he was tossing her way. She snatched it out of the air, and grinned at the angry demon snarling at her and clutching his stomach.

"Come on," she encouraged him. "One half-naked bitch still standing here."

When he charged her again, staying low and carrying her to the ground under his burly body, there was a collective gasp from the onlookers; a gasp that turned into a cheer when Buffy rose to her feet, coughing and brushing the vamp dust away from her face. She looked at the two incapacitated minions lying on the floor and walked over to them.

"Sorry, boys," she said with genuine regret. The businesslike way she calmly drove her stake into first one vampire, then the other had a chilling effect on the few remaining minions. When she cocked her head at them in query, they held up their hands and backed away, assuring her that they would be returning home immediately and remaining there for the foreseeable future.

"Now then, wanker," Spike said, pulling Mordor up and shaking him. "Tell these boys what needs to be mixed with what to keep them from turnin' into garbage like you."

Mordor did his best to appear intimidating and in charge, despite his being held almost carelessly by the much older and stronger vampire.

"It's magic," he blustered. "Without me, you'll all die."

"Bullshit," Johnny said quietly from behind Spike. "I know enough about magic to know it doesn't come in beakers." He beamed as Spike thumped him on the back in agreement.

James spoke up, holding the folder in his hands as he neared them. He waved it at Mordor, saying, "You stole this from me, didn't you? This is the formula I was working on when I was…" He paused, understanding filling his face. "When you sent your minions out to turn me," he gasped. "You did it on purpose so I wouldn't realize it was gone. You son of a bitch!"

Shoving the folder into his brother's hands, James threw an inexpert punch at the demon face grinning at him. When it became obvious that he wasn't likely to connect with any force without a little help, Spike obligingly moved Mordor into the path of James' fist, which connected with a satisfying crack.

James immediately stopped, rubbing his sore knuckles and glaring at object of his ire.

"You used my own work against me! That formula was supposed to help vampires to live more normal lives. Not turn them into half-vampire/half-human servants for you."

"You were wasting it," Mordor huffed. "Too wrapped up in your precious 'research' to see the possibilities. With that formula and a few minions, I could control the city."

"Wait!" Buffy interrupted. "Did you already know what he was before you got bitten?"

James shook his head. "We were at the same university. He was a grad student there. In the same department, but I didn't know him. He disappeared one day…. and when he came back he would only work at night. I should have figured it out – but he wasn't my TA, so…" He glared again. "I was tearing the place apart, looking for my notes and experiment results – and he had them all this time." He looked like he wanted to take another swing at Mordor, but Jason stopped him.

"You'll just hurt yourself," he said with all the pride of youth. "This is my thing. Let me."

He stepped forward, fist clenched and arm cocked, only to find Spike had pulled Mordor out of his reach.

"Sorry, lad," he said with seemingly honest regret. "You've got a right to some vengeance. But this wanker just tried to bite my mate. I'm thinking he needs to learn more than he ever wanted to about what constitutes a _real _vampire."

Spike muttered a few words, and tossed another ball of light to Johnny. "Here you go, John. Why don't you lead everybody out of here? I'll be right along."

Buffy walked up to him and met his steady gaze for several long seconds.

"Do I want to know what you're going to do with him?" she asked, a small frown creasing her brow.

"Prob'ly not," he said quietly. "But I'm gonna do it, so you just run along with John-Boy and the almost-vamps."

For the first time since those early days when Spike was struggling to control his behavior so as not to upset her, and she was struggling with the idea that her new best friend was a soulless, formerly-evil demon, she felt a chill go up her back when she gazed into his amber eyes. She opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again when Spike said, "This is between demons, Slayer. Get out. John can take you back to the hotel. I'll be there when I can."

Sending a sympathetic look toward Mordor – which immediately terrified him into struggling against the iron grip Spike had maintained – she turned and began to trot after the light she could see leading the way out. She hesitated once, but a quiet "Keep going, love" set her legs in motion again.

**Chapter Seven**

When they had all exited the building through the broken door, the former minions and helpers milled around aimlessly. Buffy watched them for a few minutes, shook her head, sighed heavily, and jumped onto the hood of John's car. When she had their attention, she smothered her discomfort at her lack of clothing and began her speech.

"Okay, guys. Here's the deal. It sucks to be you, but that's not anybody's fault but that scuzball downstairs." Her face clouded for a minute. "And I'm guessing he's going to be really sorry about it pretty soon," she added softly, then took a deep breath and stood up straighter.

"Anyway, those of you who have homes and families to go to – I'd suggest you go home and tell your mothers you love them. Anybody I catch munching on the tourists – or anybody else – is fair game for staking. Is that clear?"

There were murmurs and nods of agreement from both vampires and semi-humans.

"Are we all going to die?" one of the helpers asked. "That's what you said, isn't it? That we're all going to be vampires eventually?"

Before Buffy could think of an answer, James cleared his throat and held up a hand. She nodded to him to speak up.

"I think I can make this work for all of us," he said hesitantly. "I'm pretty sure that he was just using the formula I'd been working on. He threw some other stuff in there to make it seem like magic, but mostly this is just my formula for helping vampires lead more normal lives. I think we can keep ourselves the way we are for as long as we want to. I hope so, anyway," he finished softly.

With that, Buffy left him to answer their questions, jumping down from the car and opening the passenger side door.

"Can you drive?" she asked a pale-looking Johnny.

He nodded. "I think so. I'm a little tired, but I haven't really done much today except burn a lot of adrenaline, so…"

"Okay. Let's go then," Buffy said abruptly, stepping into the passenger side.

She rode the rest of the way back to the hotel in silence, only shaking her head when John let her out at the front door and asked if she needed him for anything else. The memory of watching Spike's silent, deadly dispatching of the guards gave John some inkling of what might be happening to Mordor and he thought he understood Buffy's silence. Wondering what it must be like to live with someone capable of such dispassionate violence, he told her "goodnight" and drove home.

Buffy waved at the manager as she headed for the elevator bank, just nodding when he asked if she was all right. "He'll be along," she responded when he asked about Spike. "We'll probably be leaving tomorrow evening."

"Already?"

She gave him a chilly glance.

"The problem has been solved. I'll do a little clean up before we leave, but there aren't going to be any more vamp gangs after this. I'll need my key, please. I left it on the beach."

He hastened to hand her the sweatpants, towel and key that had been retrieved from the sand, thanking her profusely and expressing again his gratitude and delight that she was not harmed. She nodded and turned away without another word; leaving him to wonder what had happened and where her vampire companion was as he watched her bare feet carry her to the elevator and disappear inside.

Buffy had showered, changed into pajama bottoms and one of Spike's tee shirts, and was staring blankly at the television when he quietly let himself into the room. She glanced up from her place on the bed, muting the television and raising an eyebrow at him. He didn't reply, just shrugged off his coat, went into the bathroom, and stood under the shower until he and his clothes were blood free. Leaving the wet jeans and shirt hanging over the shower rail, he dried off and walked out to stand beside the bed. They stared at each other for long minutes, the naked vampire who had spent the past hour torturing to death the demon who'd made the mistake of attempting to kill his mate, and the girl who'd been chosen to save the world.

Finally, Buffy clicked the sound back on and moved over.

"Are you coming to bed?" she asked, indicating the space at her side.

"Wasn't sure I'd be welcome," he replied, sliding under the sheet but taking care not to touch.

"I wasn't sure, either," she admitted. "But I've had time to think …"

"And…?"

"And I remembered that the love of my life is a soulless vampire who loves me so much that I sometimes forget what he is. But I can't. I shouldn't. It's part of who and what you are and I have to remember that."

Her voice was firm, but she kept her eyes on the television and he could see just the slightest quiver in her lips. He took the remote from her, turned the sound off again, and touched her chin, asking – but not forcing – her to look at him.

"I _am_ a soulless vampire, Buffy. I always will be. But you have to know that I would never do anything to anyone that might cause you pain – if I can help it. I promised you that a long time ago, didn't I? That I wouldn't make you have to stake me? I wouldn't have wanted you to watch me tonight; but I expect you to accept that it was something I had to do. My demon wouldn't have settled for any less…. and I'm not sure that the poncy man I was when I was human wouldn't have felt the same way."

He leaned back until he was lying flat, tugging her gently down with him.

"Even if we weren't mated, I would have wanted to make that bastard pay for kidnapping you and thinking he was going to bite you. You're everything to me, Buffy. My conscience, my heart, my reason for being. Anyone tries to take that away…"

"I understand," she whispered. "I really do. It's just easy to forget sometimes that the wonderful man who loves me has another side." She looked up at him with glistening eyes. "Make love to me?" she asked softly. "Make me forget again?"

He dipped his head in silent acquiescence, covering her face with soft kisses that brushed across her lips before gradually settling there. With no haste, they kissed, taking their time until their tongues, by mutual agreement, slid out to deepen the kisses into the bone-melting caresses that they could indulge in for hours.

When Buffy was making small whimpering sounds in her throat, he slipped his hands under the tee shirt and began to stoke the soft skin there, waiting until she was arching her breasts into his hand before skimming it off over her head. Again, taking his time, he kissed his way around her torso, licking and sucking at each nipple in turn before, moving down to her belly button and nudging the waistband of her pajamas with his nose.

Using only his nose to move the fabric, he worked his way down her abdomen until his face was buried under the stretchy material and his tongue was tickling her outer lips. In spite of her obvious enjoyment of what he was doing, and her anticipation of what would come next, she surprised him by tugging on his still damp curls.

"No," she whispered. "I changed my mind. Come up here."

Spike obediently raised his head, his face settling into disappointed lines, which relaxed when she pulled him up until they were face to face and she was stroking his cheek, smiling softly.

"Don't look so worried," she said, leaning up and brushing her lips across his. "I just want you to be in me right now. I want to feel you inside me, loving me."

Exhaling a relieved sigh, he nodded and relaxed against her.

"No place I'd rather be, love. You know that."

He rolled off to allow Buffy to squirm out of her pajama bottoms, then immediately rolled back to cover her body with his. Buffy's legs opened for him, her feet meeting behind his back as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She held up her face for the kiss that accompanied his quick slide into her welcoming body. As she surrounded him with her scent and began moving gently, Spike released the tension that had been holding him captive since he'd entered the room to find Buffy staring blankly at the TV. With a grateful shudder, he allowed himself to collapse upon her, nuzzling her neck and inhaling her essence. Buffy's tightening arms and her playful bite on his shoulder brought him back to the task at hand.

"Right, you stupid git," he muttered to himself, "Girl wants a good seeing to and you're wasting time crying on her shoulder."

"The girl is right here," she reminded him. "And getting a little bored."

"Bored? You're bored? I'll have none of that!"

With a rumbling growl, he began to move against her, using his blunt human teeth to nip across her shoulder and up her neck. Holding himself up on his elbows, his hips churned against hers, the extra twist at the end of each stroke bringing forth very satisfying whimpers and moans from the suddenly no longer bored Buffy.

Her surprising lunge upward, which ended in her teeth seizing the skin of his throat, sent him crashing over the edge with a roar. He buried his own fangs in her neck, pulling deep draughts of blood as she quivered beneath him, crying his name.

In lieu of the money the grateful merchants attempted to give her, Buffy gladly accepted an envelope of gift certificates for several hotels and restaurants near the beach. Promising to come back later in the season when they assured her the sun would come out and shine warmly all day, Buffy and Spike left the small "thank you" ceremony that had been hastily thrown together in the hotel ballroom. Mayor Stevenson, now basking in the gratitude of the city's merchants, walked with them to the waiting cab.

"I want to add my personal thanks," she said to Buffy as they walked through the hotel lobby, trailed by John who had insisted on carrying their bags in spite of Spike's rolled eyes. "I'm sure you realize now how hard this was for me; knowing that my own children had been caught up in it."

Buffy nodded her understanding. "I do – but except for the parents of the boys I had to slay…"

"They're very upset," the mayor said with a sigh. "I don't know if they will ever forgive me…"

"Did you explain to them that those boys were already dead? They were just animated corpses that—"

Casting an eye behind them, where Spike and John were talking quietly, Mayor Stevenson said, "Animated corpses who still loved their families and came around often enough for their parents to kid themselves that they still had their children. Surely, you of all people, can understand the need to pretend that a loved one isn't dead?" She looked pointedly at the vampire trailing behind them.

Buffy stopped and stared, her mouth gaping open. "Spike's different!" she insisted. "For one thing, he was already vamped when I met him. Had been for over a hundred years. It's not like he was my human boyfriend and I kept him around after he became a vampire."

"But could you have staked him if he was?" the older woman asked gently. "If someone you loved got turned, could you kill him… or her?"

"I think so," Buffy responded quietly. "I haven't had to make that choice in this…" She decided against sharing information about Sunnydale and the other worlds in which Buffy the Vampire Slayer existed. She met the mayor's eyes firmly. "I'm sure I could. If it had to be done, I could do it. It's part of being the Slayer. You do what you have to do and you cry about it later."

Behind them, John was importuning Spike, disregarding the steady growl coming from the vampire.

"But, Spike," he coaxed. "I was able to keep that light going all the way out of the building. It didn't fizzle until I accidentally squeezed it too hard. Just think how much I could help you if you taught me to do magic."

"Don't need help," Spike grunted. "Not from some eager beaver who didn't even know there was such a thing as magic two days ago. Magic's not something to play with. It's got consequences. Bad ones, sometimes."

"But that's why you need to teach me! So I don't make any mistakes that could have… consequences."

Spike stopped and glared at the eager young man beside him.

"Are you sayin' you're going to do this with or without me?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"You know, if you go all evil, the Slayer's gonna have to kill you."

"I'm not going to use it for evil!" John protested. "I want to help people!"

"Famous last words," Spike grumbled as he reached the taxi and took their bags from the anxious bellboy. He shook hands with the mayor and tossed the bags into cab before joining Buffy in the back seat. He rolled his eyes as John stood by, bouncing from one foot to the other as he waited for an answer.

"We'll talk," Spike finally said grudgingly, ignoring the "yippee!" from John and the puzzled look from Buffy. They waved as the cab pulled away and headed for the train station.

"What are you and Johnny going to talk about?"

Spike shook his head. "He wants to be Gandalf," he growled.

"Who?" In spite of her mockery of Mordor's chosen vampire name, her disdain had been based on nothing more than having heard the name before. All she knew about Mordor was that it was a name Xander had mentioned when talking about a movie.

He sighed and pulled Buffy into his side. "Remind me to have Dawn bring us a couple of books…" He looked at Buffy's unenthusiastic face and added, "and a couple of movies and something to play them with."

"You're wearing your 'I'm mated to an ignoramus' look again," Buffy pouted. "It's not my fault I spent my nights chasing vampires and then got yanked into a world where I had to go to work right away. I'm not stupid, just…"

"Never said you were, sweetheart. You're not stupid and you know I don't think you are. Said it before, and I'm saying it again, if you want to finish high school and even try college, I'm all for it. I can make enough money for the both of us."

"Maybe I will," she muttered. "But I'd be learning all different stuff in the schools here, wouldn't I?"

"Prob'ly. I think the science and maths would be the same, but literature and history…yeah, it would be very different. Doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, though. This _is_ our world now, pet. Don't think we can keep pretending we don't belong here."

"So, even if I go to school, I still won't know what you're talking about half the time, will I?" She gave him a poke in the ribs. "You're still going to give me that look."

"You don't get those bony little fingers out of my ribs," he growled, trying not to squirm and laugh, "you're gonna wish a look was all you were getting."

"Ooooo, the big bad vampire is threatening me! Too bad he can't bite or even get wrinkly when he's being tickled."

Buffy began to play with him in earnest, using her fingers to hit all the places she knew would annoy him the most - until she realized that the combination of snarls and choked laughter was causing their driver to spend more time looking into his rear-view mirror than on the road in front of him. With a final dig that turned into a satisfied pat to his ribcage, she stopped tormenting Spike and settled into the corner of the seat, smiling at him fondly.

"You _are_ going to pay for this, you know," he said with a glower that was totally wasted on the grinning girl.

"I'm counting on it," she leaned over and whispered in his ear, retreating quickly when he tried to grab her. "Ah, ah," she scolded. "Behave yourself. We're not alone, you know."

"He can't see me," Spike leered, tilting his head at the mirror. "He'll just think you're—"

Before Spike could follow up his implied threat, their cab pulled into the train station and the driver stopped in front of the entrance. He refused to take any money from them, insisting that he'd been well paid already.

"My business was really falling off," he explained. "Not to mention having to wonder if every fare I picked up might decide to get hungry before we got where he was going. I'm just glad to know that it's safe for the tourists to come back."

Buffy accepted the thanks with her usual uncomfortable blushes. Even now, after years of working to protect the population of this world, she hadn't got used to being thanked for what she did. She couldn't suppress a pang of guilt as she thought about the Buffy back in Sunnydale who faced annual apocalypses without any support or appreciation from the citizens she was protecting.

She was still quietly thinking about it when she and Spike had taken their seats on the train. As it pulled out of the station and began the journey back to Winterset, Spike nudged her shoulder.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She startled and looked up in surprise. "I was just thinking," she said slowly.

"Always a dangerous thing…"

Her poke to his arm was half-hearted and he realized that she really was deeply engrossed in whatever she was thinking. His stomach clenched a little as he reviewed the events of the past couple of days and wondered if she was having second thoughts about living with a cold-blooded killer.

"Buffy…? Love?" The worry in Spike's voice brought her attention back to him and she had no trouble recognizing his uncertainty.

"I was just realizing how good I have it here," she said, smiling when his shoulders visibly relaxed. "I get thanked for doing my job, I get freebies from grateful people, we hardly ever have to fight anything we can't both handle, nobody has tried to end the world yet…"

"Bite your tongue! You know you've probably just set up this world's first apocalypse, don't you?" Spike's horror was almost genuine, and if Buffy hadn't known how much he enjoyed a good fight, she might have believed him.

"That's just the thing," she said. "Even if we have to handle a pending apocalypse once in while, we still have it better than the other Spike and Buffy. I mean, yeah, things should be easier for them than what they had in the dimension they came from…" She shuddered briefly at what little she knew of the world from which the older Spike and Buffy had been pulled. Just knowing that their presence in her Sunnydale, with it's demons and vampires, and potential for yearly apocalypses, was considered a reward for what they'd both endured in the dimension they'd come from was enough to make this one – cold or not – seem like a vacation.

"They have each other, love," Spike said gently, putting an arm around her. "Think that's all the reward they wanted or needed, yeah?"

She snuggled into his side, grateful for his ability to read her thoughts so well.

"Well, we have each other, too. And we didn't have to go through all that stuff for it. We just fell in love and…"

"Speak for yourself, pet. I'm the one who spent his first six months here with blue balls from living in the same house with the woman he—"

"Pig!" Her interruption was more affectionate than angry, and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"Oink, love."

"My own fanged piggy wiggy. Maybe I should start calling you Mr. Gordo…"

"Over my dead body, Slayer… Or yours. Could go either way on that one."

Her giggle brought a reluctant smile to his face; knowing that she could still laugh in the face of a threat from him – as idle as the threat might be – went a long way to reassure him that his lapse into demonhood hadn't damaged their relationship in any permanent way.

"Do you even know who Mr. Gordo is?"

"I do. Had to kick the bloody pig out of the bed just before I…" He stopped, remembering why he'd been in a position to object to the presence of a stuffed animal, and how close he'd come to landing on the floor beside the pig when Buffy'd noticed his cavalier treatment of her beloved Mr. Gordo. Deciding that he didn't need to share with his Buffy what he'd been about to do with her older self, he trailed off to a muttered, "Know only too well what it is."

Buffy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then shrugged and tucked her head under his chin and closed her eyes.

"Wake me when we get home," she murmured, not seeing the smile that crossed his face, but knowing the arms holding her in place weren't going anywhere.

**Epilogue**

They arrived home without incident, dropping their bags in the hall and heading to the kitchen for blood and food. Spike groaned when he noticed the light blinking on the answering machine, muttering, "Knew we never should have had that phone line put in."

Buffy ignored him, pulling sandwich materials out of the refrigerator, setting them on the table and pouring blood into a mug for him. She put his dinner into the microwave and sat down to make her sandwich.

"Do you want to hear these, pet?" he asked, glaring at the machine as if it was intentionally interfering with his plans for the evening.

"I suppose we should," she mumbled around a mouthful of bread and meat. "Just in case…"

The microwave dinged and Spike took his blood out and began to sip it as he pushed play. The first two messages were from friends they'd made in Winterset, inviting them to a party that they'd already missed while in Shadyside. The third was from Buffy's boss, who reminded her that she didn't have to report to work for another two days. The fourth message, which Buffy came and stood beside him to hear was from the chief of police, wondering if Buffy and Spike would like to discuss a training course for his officers who frequently had to deal with drunk or angry demons and vampires.

"Huh! It's just now occurring to him that we might have something to teach his men?"

"Don't scoff, pet. It's a legitimate way to make money using our specialized skills."

"Specialized skills'?" Buffy raised her eyebrows at both his willingness to make money legally, as well as his use of such language. "If you get any more Gilesish, I'm going to have to rethink this whole 'mated' thing."

"Very funny," he growled, signing her to be quiet as he listened to the last message. It was a plea for help from one of Clem's many relatives. One they had met when driving from Winterset to a vacation in the mountains several hundred miles away. According to the embarrassed sounding demon, a local incubus had taken a young vampire for a mate and the two of them were draining the local human and demon populations of both blood and energy.

"I really hate to bother you guys with this – I know you're busy – but nobody here seems to know what to do about them. Nobody's died yet, but ... Schools and businesses are closed as often as not, because nobody feels like going to work anymore. If you can come, give me a call. You're welcome to stay with us if the Slayer won't be too uncomfortable being with so many demons…"

"Well, there you go, love. I guess our next job is already lined up for us. What do you want to tell him?"

Buffy sighed and headed for the bathroom. "Tell him we'll be there in a couple of days, I guess. It doesn't sound like it's a real emergency and I want to spend some time in my own house. Plus, I have to show up for work once in a while – just so they remember that I work there."

"Sounds good. It'll give me some time to read up on incubi, too. Don't want anything stealing your energy – I have plans for it." He leered at her as she began shedding clothes.

"Oh, I've got plenty of energy. Don't you worry about that!" She dropped the last of her clothing on the floor and shut the bathroom door, turning on the water and stepping into the shower with a happy sigh.

Spike quickly returned the phone call, assuring Mike that he and Buffy would be there in a few days and asking him to call back if anything changed and they were needed sooner than that. As soon as he'd said 'good-bye', he began walking toward the sound of running water, dropping his own clothes on the floor as he did. He opened the bathroom door and stepped into the tub, pulling the curtain shut and enclosing them both in the steamy space.

"Took you long enough," Buffy teased. "I thought maybe you'd decided to start your research tonight and I'd have to scrub my own back."

"You don't have to scrub anything yourself, Slayer," he purred, pulling her against his warmed body. "I've got you covered."

"You've got me covered, huh?" she mumbled into his chest.

"Like a bloody blanket, love."

"I think I like that." She raised her face for his kiss. "I think I like that a lot."

Several minutes later, when Spike slipped on some spilled bath gel, and landed on his ass in the bottom of the tub, Buffy's legs still wrapped around his hips, their showering sex came to an abrupt halt.

"Are you all right?" Buffy asked, trying not to laugh at the indignant look on his face.

"I'm fine," he grumbled. "Just embarrassed and brassed off at having a good shag interrupted."

"Guess it's a good thing we have super-healing and high pain thresholds, huh?" Buffy said as she rubbed the bruises on her knees and ankles.

"I don't plan to make a habit of falling down in the bath, Slayer," he said, lifting her up so that she could step out of the tub. "This was a one-time thing. And it's all the fault of that bloody gel you use instead of real soap."

"Oh, so it's my fault you're getting so old you can't make love standing up anymore?" She giggled and ran for the bedroom, smiling to herself at the bloodcurdling snarls punctuating Spike's attempts to climb out of the wet, slippery tub. He caught her just as she reached the bedroom, tackling her to the floor and grabbing the back of her neck in his teeth.

"I'll show you 'old'," he murmured around his fangs, which were quickly being replaced with soft, mobile lips and small human teeth nibbling on her neck.. "You aren't going to be able to walk for a week!"

"There you go again – promises, promises…"

"I always keep my promises, love… thought you'd know that by now."

"Well, actually…" She paused to whimper as his lips found a particularly sensitive spot. "I'm pretty much counting on it…"

The End.


	2. Pop Goes the Weasel

Set in the I Know You verse, sometime after Knowing and Watching: Spike and Buffy are offered a job just before the holidays.

**Chapter One of Pop Goes the Weasel**

**Is It Spring Yet?**

"Wake up, lazy bones, we've got a job."

Spike growled and pulled the pillow over his face. Undeterred, Buffy jumped onto the bed and sat on him.

"Come on. I know you're not asleep. Get up."

"I _would_ be asleep if some annoying bint would leave me alone." He raised the pillow and gave her his best snarl, complete with fangs.

"You know," she said conversationally, "that would be a lot scarier if you weren't hiding under a quilt covered in pink flowers." When he didn't respond, except to pull the pillow back over his face, she went to the bottom of the bed, reached under the cover and began to tickle his feet. It wasn't long before his snarls were mixed with snorts of laughter as he tried to pull his feet out of her reach.

Instead of giving up, Buffy dove under the quilt and followed his feet as he pulled his knees up to his chest in an attempt to get away from her fingers. She moved her busy hands from his feet to his balls, running her fingernails lightly over them and giggling at the inevitable reaction.

"As long as you're down there, you may as well make yourself useful," he growled, dropping his legs so as to put his erect cock in front of her face.

"Ha!" she scoffed, squirming the rest of the way up to where he smiled at her hopefully, his fangs long gone. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, lazy bones?"

"You mean you've got me all awake and I get nothing for it?" He gave her his best pout and his saddest eyes, but she was unimpressed.

"If you'd gotten up when I told you to, you wouldn't have this little problem," she said, patting his cock and rolling off the bed to stand out of reach.

"_Little_ problem? Little?" With a roar, he threw off the covers and leapt out of bed, standing in front of her in all his naked glory and righteous indignation.

Buffy gave a satisfied smirk and headed for the kitchen.

"Now that you're up, you may as well get dressed. We have a client coming by in fifteen minutes."

When Spike finally joined her in the kitchen, accepting his warm blood with little grace, he was dressed except for his shoes. Whereas Buffy never left the bed without putting on warm socks or slippers, Spike's lack of response to temperature extremes meant that, even in winter, he wasn't overly bothered by the cold floors of their house.

He nursed his blood in silence for several minutes, finally giving Buffy a sideways glance.

"Did you really mean 'little'?" he asked more meekly than he'd intended.

She rolled her eyes.

"You are so easy," Buffy sighed, then brightened. "How would I know? It's not like I've ever seen another one. I don't have anything to compare it to, do I?"

"And you never will if I have anything to say about it!"

He picked up his glass and swallowed the rest of his blood, setting the empty glass down and grabbing her as she moved to pick it up. He kissed her until she was curled into him and making little whimpering noises in her throat. When he was satisfied that he'd made his point, be let her go – steadying her with one hand when she briefly staggered.

"Wow," she gasped. "You know, if you'd just grabbed the other Buffy and kissed her the first time you saw her, you probably could have killed her easy."

He laughed and shook his head, releasing her hand so that she could carry their dishes to the sink.

"Nah. That might have worked for old soulled Spike when he first met her – if he could have got close enough to her and held her still long enough. The Buffy _I_ met was already an expert on how I kiss. She'd have kissed my socks off and then dropped me on the ground." His eyes glazed over for a second as he reminisced. "She kind of did that, now that I think about it..."

"Should I be jealous?" Buffy said, just a trace of insecurity in her voice.

"What? Oh. Oh no, love. I wouldn't trade you for all the other Buffys in all the other dimensions there are." He came up behind her and put his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his chest and murmuring into her ear. "You're my very own, very special Buffy. The only one I love – the only one I ever will love."

"Promise?"

"With all my heart. I'd cross it and hope to die, but..."

"But you're already dead," she laughed, her good mood restored.

"That I am, pet." He let her go and started to the bedroom to put his boots on. "So, who's this client that's so important he can interrupt my beauty sleep at such an ungodly hour?"

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon, Spike," Buffy said. "And he's a friend of Clem's. He's having a problem with some kind of demonic rodent or something."

Spike's head appeared around the corner, his expression thunderous.

"A _rodent_ problem? I got out of my nice warm bed to hear about rodents?"

"_Demonic_ rodents," she reminded him.

Spike's profanity-laced rant was interrupted by a loud knock on the front door, and Buffy shushed him with a hand over his mouth.

"Just try to be patient and listen, okay? Christmas is coming and we could use a little extra cash."

Still muttering about rodents and his dignity, he trailed after her as she went to the door and opened it. He hung back where the slanting rays of the winter sun couldn't reach him, studying the abashed-looking demon on the other side of the threshold.

"Hi," Buffy said, extending her hand. "Please, come in and fill us in on what your problem is."

Spike gave the very human-looking demon a nod of assent and backed up into the darkened living room. He marveled anew at this Buffy and her willingness to accept all living beings at face value, knowing that, even with the experiences she'd had, the Buffy he'd left behind in Sunnydale still drew a very firm line between "acceptable vampires and demons" and the rest of the creatures inhabiting her world. He breathed a quiet sigh of thanks that his Buffy hadn't come into this new world with that same hardwired set of assumptions and had adapted to it quickly enough that she hadn't gotten herself killed or become a pariah before he'd arrived to join her. The idea of living without his mate and partner was enough to make him shudder.

He offered his own hand to the K'vleck demon standing uncomfortably in the living room, and gestured to a chair.

"Have a seat, mate. What can we do for you?"

Looking more uncomfortable by the minute, George (for that was how the demon had introduced himself) said, "This is going to sound really... bizarre, I know, but we've got these... pests."

"Pests?"

"Really, really vicious pests," George said quickly. "They aren't very big, but they're really mean, and destructive. And they have a... um... a leader or mother of some sort that _is_ big. So, we can chase them away, but not very far. They always run to it and it… um… yeah, that never goes well." He paused to grimace at what was obviously not a pleasant memory, then continued. "And they always come back. Bolder all the time."

"Have you tried trapping them?" Spike had to admire Buffy's attempt to treat the problem seriously. He, personally, was ready to toss the wanker out and tell him to find himself a really big cat.

"We did. They ate the trap." George stared at Spike's curled lip and said, directly to the sneering vampire, "Last night they tried to carry off a child."

Buffy's gasp was accompanied by the sound of Spike's feet, which had been comfortable resting on the coffee table, hitting the floor.

"Why the bloody hell didn't you say so?" he demanded.

"Was the child hurt?" Buffy asked quickly.

George nodded, and then shook his head. "Yes, but not badly. We were able to kill enough of them that her mother could pull her away before she had more than a few small bites. We don't think they were planning to eat her right then, they may have been—"

"Taking her back to their pack leader," Buffy and Spike said at the same time.

"Yes," George said softly. "We've doubled the guards, but our village is pretty widely spread out and it's very easy for the creatures to sneak in under cover of darkness. I've asked everyone to move into the community center until we can be sure they'll be safe in their homes."

"What do these things look like?"

"Oh, here," George said, producing a folded piece of paper. "One of our better artists drew you a picture. The leader looks pretty much like this, only much, much bigger – with bigger teeth."

Spike leaned over Buffy's shoulder as she studied the drawing.

"Looks like a cross between a weasel and a wolverine," he commented. "Nasty buggers in our world, they are."

"Or a really big ferret," Buffy said. "I knew some people who had pet ferrets."

George visibly shuddered. "Pets?"

"Well, some of them. I guess they're really wild animals, but I knew people who had one or two."

She looked at the picture again, pointing to the animal's feet. "When I was a freshman, I had to write a report about an endangered species and I picked the black-footed ferret. They looked a lot like this – just smaller." Buffy looked at Spike with a small smile. "I guess they're about to become endangered here, huh?"

"That they are, love." He flashed some fang at her, then turned to the startled visitor. "So, while my lady rounds up some weasel-appropriate weapons, let's you and I talk about our fee, yeah?"

"Spike!" Buffy stopped on her way out of the room. "They're stealing _children!"_

With a sigh, he nodded. "Right you are, love." He gave George an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, mate. Of course we'll help you out – no charge."

George gave his first smile since he'd entered the small house where Winterset's most famous evil-fighting duo lived. "It's not a problem," he said. "We've had a good year. We can pay you in dollars, or in jewelry. That's what we do. We mine for gold and gems and make jewelry from what we find."

Spike shot a look over his shoulder and lowered his voice.

"Holidays are coming. Maybe we can work something out, yeah? Something for my lady?"

"Gotcha. You get rid of these baby-stealing creatures, and you can have your pick of things for the Slayer."

Feeling much cheerier, Spike went to pull on his boots and get his favorite jacket. At the last minute, he changed his mind and grabbed an older, more beat up coat made of thick cowhide. And the leather gloves he rarely bothered to wear.

"Let's go, pet," he said, picking up the car keys. "We've got weasels to endanger."

**Chapter Two - More Than Meets the Eye**

Safely covered by clothing and a big hat, Spike ran to the shelter of his customized car, sliding behind the steering wheel and waiting for Buffy to join him. He could see George waiting impatiently at the end of the driveway, already turned around and ready to leave. While he waited for Buffy to lock the door and carry the rest of the weapons to the car, he shook his head at how different life was in this world. Of the few cars that went past while George and his colorful van sat in the street, facing the wrong way, not a one of them yelled, honked or made interesting gestures. They just calmly drove around the impediment to their progress and continued on their way.

Buffy slammed the trunk shut and hopped in the front seat.

"Okie, dokie. We're ready."

"Okie, dokie?"

"Don't make fun of the way I talk, Mr. sodding, bloody bint."

"I am not a bint, Slayer."

"Whatever. Don't make fun of the way I talk."

"But it's so easy," he said, grinning as he pulled out into the street to follow George's van.

The trip to the K'vleck village was uneventful, and by the time they arrived, the early Winterset dusk was already setting in. They parked where George had indicated, beside a long wooden building that he explained was their combination community center and town hall. Inside, hopeful faces turned toward them as the Slayer and her vampire companion followed George to the front of the room.

He quickly – and unnecessarily – introduced them, asking those who'd had personal encounters with the marauders to come forward and give Spike and Buffy as much information as they could. While Spike chatted quietly with the mother of the child who'd been snatched from her bed, Buffy listened carefully to the other adult K'vlecks and made quick notes about anything that might be important.

The general theme was pretty much teeth, claws, and overwhelming numbers. The only new piece of information she got was that the creatures seemed to emerge from nowhere.

"We have guards posted all around the outside," one disgruntled villager said. "They're all close enough to see each other, and all armed with swords or axes. And yet, these things just seem to pop out of thin air. One minute, there's nothing there, and then the next, there they are."

"You can't see them coming?"

He shook his head. "Nope. And to get into that house, they had to get past the guards undetected. No one saw them until the child screamed and her mother rushed into the room and found them dragging her out through a hole in wall."

"Hmmm." Buffy's reply was non-committal. Unless there was magic involved, she couldn't imagine how the creatures could come and go so easily. "Do they disappear when they leave?"

"That's the weird part. We can always watch them leave and follow them. But, they just run until they get to the big one. And then we're too busy trying not to be killed to watch where they go from there."

"How many of you have been killed?"

"Only two, so far; but we have four others in the Infirmary recovering from their wounds."

Spike had charmed both the child and her mother, to the point that the little girl with the pointed ears and violet tint to her skin was sitting on his lap and explaining carefully about the "big rats" that had tried to carry her off.

"Did they bite you, love?" he asked, his sympathetic frown reassuring her that terrible things would happen to them if that was the case. She nodded her head and held out one arm that was wrapped in a large bandage. "Yes, and then when my mommy tried to pull be away, one of them clawed me."

Her mother spoke up. "They were carrying her away – not really trying to eat her. I don't know how they did that without cutting her up more than she is, but they did."

"But," Buffy said, joining the conversation, "when you are chasing them, they do bite and claw then, don't they?"

"Oh yes." The female demon pointed to multiple bandages on her arms and legs. "They bit me like crazy. I thought they were going to kill me until the guards came and beat them off."

"What happens to the ones _you_ kill?"

No one answered, and there were embarrassed shrugs from the adults present.

"You don't know?" Spike's voice dripped with disbelief as he handed the little demon back to her mother, ruffling her hair and calling her "bitesize". "Do they drag their dead away? Do you pile them up and burn them? Do you have a collection of rotting bodies around the village?"

"We're too busy worrying about the ones still alive," the head of the security force said defensively. "What do we care what happens to the dead ones?"

Spike and Buffy exchanged looks, and he said in disgust, "Because they may or may not be dead. Sounds like there's something magical going on here, and that means the little buggers might not die as permanently as you'd like to think."

"Only one way to find out," Buffy said, shouldering her weapon bag and picking up her sword. "Let's go find ourselves some weasels to make dead."

Politely refusing to participate in the evening meal, Buffy and Spike returned to their car for a quick snack and to discuss the situation in private. Buffy had long since learned that no matter how human they might seem, or how good their intentions, meals offered by demons often contained things she would just as soon not know were considered food groups; so she always brought along her own sandwiches. Spike, of course, had a few bags of blood stashed in a cooler, one of which he punctured with a fang and began to sip.

"Any ideas?" Buffy asked around a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly.

"Not a clue, pet. But there should be furry little bodies piled up all over here and there isn't a trace of one, so something's going on."

As soon as they had finished eating, they left the car and began a slow circuit of what they'd been shown to be the main part of the village. Families that lived in more outlying areas had long since temporarily moved into the center of the town where they were at least surrounded by guards, even if those guards couldn't seem to intercept the creatures before they emerged somewhere unprotected. Buffy and Spike also stopped to examine the gaping hole that the creatures had chewed through the wall of the house from which the child had been taken.

"Pretty impressive chewing," Buffy said, staring through the hole into what was clearly the little girl's room.

Spike's only comment was a grunt of assent while he sniffed around the hole and the ground under it. He shook his head at the confusing mix of scents. In addition to the scent of the child and her mother, easily recognized, he could also smell something acrid and unpleasant.

"Buggers stink, whatever they are," he grumbled, standing up and looking around.

"All part of their charm, I'm sure," Buffy said. "Let's go see if we can find some. You can tell them how bad they smell after we capture or kill one."

It took over an hour to circumnavigate the entire complex, Spike stopping to chat briefly with a guard here and there and Buffy watching the brush for any sign of attack. They had just returned to where they began when a scream from the nearest guard brought them running to find him being swarmed by snarling, biting creatures that had not been there a few seconds earlier when Spike and Buffy walked right past him.

"Show time," Buffy said, dropping the bag and swinging her sword free.

"Right behind you, love," Spike said, dropping into game face and baring his fangs in a joyful grin.

Spike waded into the bodies swarming over the steadily weakening guard, biting them in half and spitting them on the ground while he snatched others and tossed them toward Buffy and her sword. She was decapitating them as quickly as she could, trying to keep a count at the same time so they would know how many they had.

When reinforcements had arrived and the guard had been hustled off to the infirmary, the remaining creatures turned and ran toward the brush. Spike and Buffy ran after them, easily catching up with the stragglers and dispatching them as they ran by.

"This is almost too easy, pet," Spike said, twisting the head off another creature and dropping the body behind him.

"I was kinda thinking that – it's almost like they are slowing down deliberately..."

As one, they stopped and looked at each other.

"Trap?"

"Trap."

Grabbing the body Spike had just dropped, Buffy began to back away, her sword at the ready.

"Okay, let's go back and see what happens to this one now that he's dead."

"Got your back, love," he agreed, extending all his senses – night vision, sense of smell and acute hearing – but feeling nothing around them. Moving quickly, but not so quickly as to appear to be running away, they retreated to the illusionary safety of the K'vleck village.

**Chapter Three**

As they passed the area where they had originally fought the creatures, they stared around in dismay.

"We had to have killed more than twenty of them! Where the hell did they go?"

"You go on, pet," Spike said, stopping and sniffing. "Take the one in your hand inside and let me see if I can track them."

"Spike, they were dead! Bitten or slashed in half, most of them. They didn't walk away!"

Without answering her, he began to sniff and prowl his way around the blood-soaked ground, growling softly under his breath. Buffy shook her head and went into the community center, slamming the dead body down on a table with a thump. Curious townspeople came up to stare at the body, one of them shouting and leaping back suddenly.

"What? What's—" Buffy stared, as shocked as the frightened townsman. Before her eyes, parts of the animal began to fall off and disappear. She slammed her hand down on a toe just as it started to fall off the table, pinning it until it dissolved into even smaller pieces that rolled to the floor and scattered. The only sign of the dead body she'd brought in was the one tiny piece of flesh still pinned under her hand.

She was pinching it tightly, not sure if she could really feel it trying to escape or if it was her imagination that the small piece of tissue between her fingertips was squirming. Spike came in, still growling under his breath and stopped to stare at her.

"Where the bloody hell is it?" he said, looking around. "And what are they doing?"

"Trying to catch more of the pieces it dissolved into," she snapped back.

Moving with a speed the demons couldn't match, Spike snatched up several pieces before they could escape from the room. One of the demon women timidly offered a jar and he thanked her with a smile that made her giggle and blush. Taking the jar he dropped his pieces in and quickly put the cover on. He held it out to Buffy and she pinched the piece she was holding between her fingers and dropped it in.

They all watched with bemusement as the pieces scurried around for a while, then tried to reform, ending up in what looked like a lopsided toe.

"Well," Spike finally broke the shocked silence. "I reckon that explains how they get in and out." He rubbed his hands together. "Now to figure out what can make them dead." Reaching into the jar, he pulled a piece of flesh free with one hand, bringing out his lighter with the other. He dropped the tiny piece of flesh onto the flame and watched as it shriveled up and turned to ash.

Buffy had been watching the jar and blinked when she saw that the other pieces were writhing around, although still intact. When Spike had snapped the lighter closed, she brushed the tiny pile of ash from the table into the jar. Everyone watched closely, but the ash remained ash and the other pieces reformed into a slighter smaller toe.

"Alright then. Fire works. Good to know. What else have we got?"

"Let's start with that," Buffy turned to George. "Do you have an incinerator or something?"

He shook his head. "No, but we do have a pretty good size cooking pit. We could dig it out some more and keep a fire going all the time…" He raised his hands for quiet and outlined what they were going to need to do. As soon as he had volunteers to dig the pit deeper, and another set who promised to take shifts keeping the fire banked, he stared around at everyone else. "Okay, folks, here's the plan. If and when we think we've killed one of the little monsters, we toss it into the pit before it can fall apart and get away. Those who are comfortable away from the village, you'll be collecting firewood and piling it near the pit – but not until daylight. I'd prefer at least one armed guard with any groups going out for wood. Any questions?"

Buffy and Spike watched with admiration as the demons scurried around, preparing for what they hoped would be an end to the terror. In no time they had the children tucked into beds in the community center, guards stationed at the doors, and other guards posted to protect the volunteers tending the fire pit.

The K'vleck were basically a very peaceful breed, spending their time mining for gems, growing their crops, and making the jewelry that they sold at monthly markets in the nearest city. As a result, very few of the weapons in the village were actual weapons. A few swords, some spears and bows and arrows owned by the hunters who no longer stayed in the woods but now lived in the village, and a couple of shotguns in the possession of what passed for a police department.

However, they did possess an abundance of axes, picks, shovels, and other digging instruments that they used in the mines, and those had proven very effective in repelling the vicious creatures. More guards were posted around the village, but closer together and closer to the main building where everyone not assigned to the pit or guard duty was now crammed in for the night.

"Shouldn't we be doing something besides just standing here watching?" Buffy said. "I feel like they're doing all the work."

"It's their lives, loves. They _need _to be doin' the work. The more they can do for themselves, the better off they'll be." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Unless you were plannin' to move here to act as the town's resident guardian."

She elbowed him in the side. "Very funny. I'm just saying, they asked us to do something about these… things… and all we're doing is watching them do stuff."

Spike smiled at her, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he whispered, "Not feeling like you're earning your keep if you aren't killing something, Slayer?"

"What? No! Not— Maybe?"

"Relax, pet," he said, putting his arm around her and squeezing. "Nasty as those things are, I s'pect they'll be back before long. And this time, we'll be ready for them. Got it all set up with George – there'll be crews waiting whose only job is to snatch up the bodies and toss 'em in the pit before they can escape."

"I know." She snuggled into his side, then straightened when she caught some of the villagers watching them and smiling at each other. "But you know me, waiting around is just not my—"

Screams from the other end of the village interrupted her. She was sprinting before Spike could finish his, "Looks like we're up again, Slayer…. Hey! Wait for me, you bloodthirsty little bint!" he added as he tried to catch her.

Spike, with his leather coat and gloves, took the lead in pulling the creatures off the guard they'd attacked, tossing them over his shoulder to the pit crew that had followed the Slayer as quickly as they could. It was clear that the attackers were aware of the Slayer's presence, as their numbers were much greater than the previous night, and they were popping up in several places at once.

Buffy's head was pivoting back and forth between the creatures swarming in front of her and the screams and shouts coming from other places around the perimeter. "I've got this, pet. You go. Thin the herd a bit and show our friends that the little buggers can be killed."

Without reply, she ran toward the nearest shouts, decapitating as many as she could reach and encouraging the villagers to smash them in the head so as to stun them long enough to throw the bodies in the fire pit. As soon as an area seemed to be under control, she would sprint to the next and repeat her actions. The sight of Buffy wading into the snapping jaws and laying about with her sword was all it took to inspire the villagers, and their demon natures did the rest.

She had gone almost all the way around the village before it occurred to her to wonder why she hadn't yet encountered Spike coming the other way. A deep guttural snarl from the woods and renewed screams from the villagers who had followed the retreating beasts sent her flying around the corner of a building to find Spike facing off against a creatures that was at least his size, and growing larger with every retreating smaller one. As each weasel reached the big one, it would leap up and meld into its body almost immediately.

"Stop them!" Buffy screamed at the villagers who were backing away in fear. "Don't let them get to it. It will just get bigger!"

Encouraged by the way Buffy placed herself between the retreating creatures and their obvious goal, the villagers regained their courage and began whacking at as many beasts as they could reach, knocking them out and tossing them to the pit crews for disposal. Using her sword almost like a scythe, Buffy was able to prevent intact weasels from getting past her, although she shuddered when she noticed an amputated leg fall apart and scramble toward its "mother" in several pieces.

She smiled when she saw one of Spike's boots come smashing down onto one of the escaping pieces, then frowned as she saw his strip off the gloves that had been protecting his hands. "What are you…?"

He turned to give her a fangy grin, having removed the gloves to use his own claws to rend and tear the bodies. He seemed to have his own crew of parts collectors, young demons who braved the retreating weasels and the proximity to the now-roaring leader to scoop up the parts and throw them into heavy canvas bags. When a bag became too full, or it seemed that the angry creatures inside had regrouped and were going to tear their way out, that crew member would run to the fire pit, dump his squirming, snarling cargo into it and run back to pick up more parts.

As the number of creatures able to retreat to their source dwindled, it turned its attention to the two beings that, moving with a swiftness that the demon villagers couldn't match, were still killing its offspring in large numbers. Ignoring Buffy and her sword, it turned its attention to the yellow-eyed demon ripping and tearing with such obvious elation.

With a snarl that sent what few creatures were left scurrying into the woods behind it, the fearsome beast focused its eyes on Spike. Too wrapped up in the joy of having let his demon out completely, Spike was beyond using common sense. While Buffy shrieked at him to come back, he leapt toward the advancing monster, roaring his own challenge.

There was a blur of motion, and then the two snarling demons were rolling around and trying to disembowel one another. Giving thanks for the heavy cowhide in Spike's coat, Buffy handed her sword to George and ran to the fire pit. She gestured for Spike's pit crew to follow her, reaching into the pit and pulling out a burning piece of wood. As soon as they realized what she was doing, the young demons began grabbing their own torches.

Buffy ran back to where Spike was clearly getting the worst of his ill-thought-out challenge to the much larger and stronger creature. Instructing the crew to be sure they avoided touching Spike with the fire, she hovered over the combatants, poking the weasel-demon with her torch every time she felt she could safely do so without having to worry about setting Spike on fire.

When she could see that Spike was tiring, and that he'd lost much too much blood for her comfort, she signaled George to give back her sword, handing him the torch in its place.

"Anything I throw out, you set fire to," she growled, moving toward the creature that was turning its attention from Spike's inert body to her. "Got it?"

"Go get 'im, Slayer," Spike croaked through blood-soaked lips. "Think I softened it up for you."

"Idiot," she snapped. "Get out of here." As she spoke, the beast dropped Spike's body and turned to face Buffy. Buffy, however, had already moved, darting behind the creature and slicing off its tail. One of the young demons followed her in and quickly set fire to the amputated part before it could rejoin its fellows. He yelled in triumph, then retreated with a cry when the demon-weasel whirled and gouged him with one of its claws.

"Stay back and just take what I throw you," Buffy instructed, studying the creature's speed and deciding that she could match it easily. Settling herself in for a long, tedious battle, Buffy danced around the snarling beast, slicing off parts whenever she got a chance. The smaller the creature got, the easier it was to reach it with the sword without risking an encounter with its teeth or nails. The younger, more agile villagers set their torches to each body part, cheering when they went up in flames and turned quickly to ashes.

By the time the beast had realized what was happening to it and tried to fall apart into individual small weasels that could escape in different direction, it was too late. It had been surrounded by vengeance-seeking villagers who were setting fire to each piece as quickly as Buffy, still waging a now-one-sided war against it, cut them free. Behind the actual combat area, other villagers were making sweeping motions with their own firebrands, scorching the ground and ensuring that no parts too small or fast to catch were able to make it to the woods.

Buffy put her sword down and paused to catch her breath, watching for a minute. When it became obvious that the villagers had the situation well under control, she turned her attention to the bloodied vampire leaning against the side of the nearest building. The little girl they'd met when they first arrived was staring at him while her mother, who'd dragged Spike away from the dangerous torches, hovered with indecision. The little girl gave no sign of fear as she studied Spike's demon-face, touching his fangs and claws with her fingers. Finally satisfied, she nodded.

"You beat it up," she said. "You beat it up for me."

Spike grinned at her and reached a bloody hand toward her head before he thought better of it. "That I did, luv. Gave it a good arse-kicking, I did."

The mother looked up as Buffy approached. "I dragged him away from the fire, but he wouldn't go inside. I don't know what else to do for him. My mother's a healer; I could get her for you…"

"You did great," Buffy assured her. "Thanks. It would have been a lot harder to do what I needed to do if I'd had to worry that he was going to accidentally go up in flames before we were done." She knelt down next to Spike and tried to hide her fear behind banter.

"Is this one of those times when you're going to tell me I ought to 'see the other guy'? Cause, I'm thinking the other guy… well, okay, the other guy is mostly ashes now, but…"

"But you're the one who really kicked its arse. Know that, love. Appreciate the rescue. Think I may have bitten off a bit more than I could chew this time…" It was as close as he was willing to come to admitting that she'd saved his life.

The little demon girl tugged on Buffy's arm. "What's wrong with him? Why doesn't he get up?"

"He'll be okay," Buffy assured her, meeting her mother's gaze and moving her head in the direction of the building. "Why don't you go inside and we'll join you there as soon as I get him fixed up. 'K?"

Somewhat reluctantly, she allowed her mother to take her hand and pull her into the building where all but a small crew of vigilant guards with torches were celebrating the victory.

Buffy looked around, but no one was paying much attention to them.

"Here, take enough for now and I'll get the other stuff out of the car," she whispered, holding out her arm.

"Just get me my blood from the trunk," he said, dropping a kiss on the offered wrist. "It'll do me till we get home."

"Spike, you're a mess and practically drained…."

"No need to take a chance on anyone here seeing anything they don't need to. Bring me my blood and I'll be fine. Or close enough to it to drive you home, anyway."

Giving him a glare that managed to look angry and worried at the same time, Buffy ran to the car and took out the remaining packets of blood. She'd long since gotten over her insistence that Spike stick to pigs blood from the butcher – even though it was a staple in their freezer. When they were going into a fight, she always brought the willingly-donated human blood that he could purchase at Winterset's demon stores.

Putting away that thought for later, she ran back to where Spike was talking to a worried-looking George. The demon glanced up as Buffy arrived, asking, "Is he as badly injured as he looks? We don't have a doctor here, but we have an excellent healer."

Buffy bit her lip as they both ignored Spike's muttered, "Don't need a bloody doctor."

"I think somebody's getting her. Once he gets some of this blood into him, I think he'll be okay, but it wouldn't hurt to get a professional opinion. Shut up, Spike," she added as he tried to object. "Just drink this." She shoved the first packet into his hands, pleased to see that his fangs dropped immediately as he ripped it open.

"Let's get him someplace safer than this – just in case they come back."

George signaled to one of the young demons that had been part of Spike's crew and the two large men picked Spike up and carried him into the community center. They deposited him on a cot near a back wall. There were shocked gasps from the people who hadn't seen the battle when Spike's battered and bleeding body was carried through their midst. As Buffy joined him and handed him another packet of blood, they began to applaud until the whole room was cheering and clapping for the embarrassed slayer and her mate.

Spike grinned and waved, nudging Buffy. "Come on, love. Give them one of those cheerleader smiles. You know the other Buffy never got anything like this. Be grateful we live where we do – where they know how to appreciate a hero."

"It's embarrassing," she hissed at him. "And besides, you're smiling enough for both of us."

The healer approached quietly, waiting until the couple had stopped talking before introducing herself as Eilene. She was trailed by her granddaughter who, she explained, was very worried about Spike. The small demon stared at Spike with big eyes and a trembling lip.

"It hurt you," she said, watching while her grandmother removed Spike's shredded coat and began to study his wounds with a critical eye. The smaller ones were already starting to close, but the larger gouges in his back and sides were still oozing blood.

"It did, luv. But not to worry. Old Spike is tough. I'll be right as rain in no time."

"Nana's going to fix you," she stated with the confidence of a child. "That's what she does, she fixes people."

Eilene brought out a jar of salve and smoothed it over the worst of the wounds on Spike's back and sides. She handed the jar to Buffy, saying, "Perhaps you should do the rest."

Blushing, Buffy nodded and began to slather the ointment on the ripped skin across Spike's stomach and onto the visible wounds under his ripped and torn jeans. It was a sign of how badly he was injured that, in spite of his attempts to seem strong, he had no leering remarks to make about where her hands were going, or what else she could do with them while they were there. Frowning, Buffy handed the jar back and reached for another packet of blood.

"That's probably the best thing for him." Eilene nodded in approval as Spike began to gulp from the bag. She bandaged the deepest of his wounds, leaving the others to close up by themselves. "You should stay here tonight, though. He can't drive. He'll need all his strength to heal."

Buffy nodded. "That's fine. We should stay longer anyway. We didn't get all the small ones. Some made it into the woods and if they get together…."

"They'll make another big one," George finished for her.

"Yeah, probably so." Buffy looked apologetic. "We should probably try to find them before they can do that. Or before they can reproduce and make more of themselves." She yawned, then shrugged, embarrassed to have been caught.

"You and your… Spike… need to rest and recover." He motioned for some onlookers to bring another cot over closer to Spike's. "You'll stay here for the rest of the night. We'll worry about the ones that escaped tomorrow." He shooed away everyone except the healer and her granddaughter, giving Buffy and Spike as much privacy as they could get in a big building full of people.

"Don't let anybody go home yet," Spike said, his voice muffled by the new bag of blood he was tearing open. "Might not be safe."

George nodded at him. "Way ahead of you," he said. "The only people outside are those keeping the fire going and guards with swords and torches. If they come back, we're ready for them and we know what to do."

"We'll get 'em tomorrow…" Spike's voice trailed off as his eyes shut. Buffy caught the now-empty bag just before it hit the floor. Her eyes met Eilene's and the healer smiled reassuringly. "Sleep will be good for him. His body is shutting down any unnecessary activity while it works on healing. I think we've stopped the bleeding, so the rest of the blood he takes in should stay where it needs to be."

"When he wakes up, I'll see that he gets more," Buffy said. "That was the last of what we brought with us, but I'll give him more."

The woman blinked at her, a frown creasing her brow. "You've fought hard too. You shouldn't weaken yourself by feeding a vampire. Surely we can find other blood for him? Even ours might—"

Buffy smiled at her. "It's okay. My blood is… different. It won't take much to make him feel a whole lot better. And he won't take enough to weaken me. Even if he did, I recover a… a little bit faster than most humans would."

The healer looked at the already closed scratches on Buffy's face and nodded. Buffy could almost see Eilene mentally adding the new information to her store of knowledge. They looked at each other, sharing a moment of honest communication, before the older woman smiled.

"Well, you'll know what's best for each other, I'm sure. Have a good rest."

**Chapter Four - Spike Has a Plan** (No, really. A _good_ plan.)

Buffy settled down on the cot beside Spike's, smiling when, even in the deep healing sleep he'd fallen into, he automatically turned in her direction and reached out for her. She took his hand and pulled it to her lips, planting a gentle kiss on his bloody knuckles as she turned to face him. Her breathing soon evened out as exhaustion made it possible to block out the sounds of all the villagers snoring and snuffling as they also tried to get a little sleep.

A disturbance outside brought Buffy awake much sooner than she'd wanted to be. Hissing at Spike to stay put, she grabbed her sword and walked to the door. One of the young fire tenders came over to report to George who had arrived at the door right after Buffy.

"It's nothing. A couple of them tried to jump a guard, but he was able to knock them down long enough for us to throw them in the pit. Unless they come back in really big numbers, I think we'll be fine."

"Okay, if you're sure…." Buffy yawned and shook herself. "Maybe I should…."

"Maybe you should get some rest so you can go out with us tomorrow to see if we can find where they're coming from," George said kindly. "They have to go somewhere in the daytime."

"Good idea," Buffy said, giving in so quickly it made her feel guilty. She walked back to where Spike was lying on his side watching her through half-open eyes.

"Problem?"

"Nothing they couldn't handle without me," she said, sliding onto her cot and dropping the sword on the floor beside her. "How do you feel?"

"Been better," he admitted. "Although, I've probably been worse…." He tried to move and winced. "Okay, maybe not worse. Not since old BatFace, anyway."

Buffy raised her head and looked around the crowded room. Except for George, making his way back to his own make-shift bed, everyone seemed to be sound asleep, the excitement of the evening's activity having taken its toll on everyone. She moved to the edge of her cot, getting as close to Spike as she could without climbing into the same narrow bed. She offered her wrist again, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"I know you'd rather do this the fun way, but this isn't about fun, it's about getting you back on your feet."

"You're not food," he grumbled, in spite of the way his eyes were changing color and his fangs dropping.

"Not food. Medicine," she said firmly, pressing her wrist to his mouth. "Now come on. Don't be stubborn."

"Want it noted that we're doing this over my objections," he growled, even as he licked the place he could smell her blood rushing through the blood vessels so close to the surface.

"Pfft! You're going to get slayer blood. I don't think your demon's objecting at all, I think he's wondering what's taking you so long."

Without responding, Spike slid his fangs into her wrist, making two small holes over the vein there. He fastened his mouth over the bite and began to suck gently, smiling around his fangs when Buffy gave a soft moan and slumped down on her bed. Spike sucked only as long as it took for him to feel the effects of her blood coursing through his body, then reluctantly removed his mouth and kissed the already closing holes.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you, Buffy Anne Summers?"

"Lots?" she responded, trying to keep her eyes open but wanting desperately to close them and get a few more hours of sleep.

"Lots and lots," he whispered, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead. "Go to sleep, love. I'll be right here."

There was no pretending it wasn't morning and time to get up. Not with over a hundred people still milling around in the building. Although the villagers who lived in the center of the town had all gone back to their homes, those living more on the outskirts or on small farms had remained in the safety of the municipal building.

Spike was still sleeping as Buffy eased herself out of her cot. Taking the sword with her just in case, she visited the women's facilities and then went to the car to get another sandwich from her stash in the cooler. She ate it quickly in case the K'vlecks would be offended that she had brought her own food, washing it down with the bottled water she'd also put in the cooler. Carrying the half-empty bottle, she went back inside to find Spike on his feet and in deep conversation with George.

Eilene, on her way out to go home, greeted Buffy just inside the door, nodding her head in Spike's direction. "He's either the fastest-healing vampire I've ever seen, or your blood is like nothing I've ever seen."

Buffy shrugged. "Well, Spike _is _a fairly old and strong vamp, but since the wanna-be master apparently wiped out the slayer line in this world long before you were born… I'm gonna go with my blood is like nothing you've ever seen."

"Would it have that effect on any vampire?"

"Why? Are you thinking about using me as a blood donor?" Buffy smiled to show she was kidding, but she stepped back and balanced on the balls of her feet.

"What? Oh! On my…. No! Not at all. It was just professional curiosity. Does it have any other qualities?"

Buffy blushed. "Well, according to Spike, it's a… What's that thing that makes people feel sexy?"

"Aphrodisiac?"

"Yeah, that. He says it is. Couldn't prove it by me, though. I think he's always horny, so… Never mind. More than you wanted to know. Sorry."

Eilene laughed softly and rolled her eyes. "If that's true, it seems like vampires would be trying to bite you all the time. They don't, do they?" She frowned with sudden concern.

"Not here, they don't. But in our… where we come from, sometimes they do. If they know about it. You know, nobody here knows anything about slayers. Most vamps think we're mythical and when they see me they just think… who is she kidding?" Buffy shrugged again. "Of course, if they're evil, then I have to slay them and by the time they figure out I'm not kidding, they're dust. So, no, I don't have vampires chasing after me because they've run out of… whatever."

"And if they did, I suspect Spike would have something to say about it." Eilene smiled as she watched Spike notice Buffy's presence and beckon her over, his face lighting up as he did so.

"Oh yeah. You could put money on that," Buffy said as she smiled her good-bye and walked toward her much healthier appearing mate. "Hey," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, love." He flexed his shoulders, wincing when the movement pulled on the barely-closed wounds. "Not hundred percent, but I'm good to go."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't think I didn't see that flinch. You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay here and rest while I go out looking for the lair."

"Not without me, you aren't." He narrowed his own eyes and glared down at her. Buffy glared back just as firmly.

George cleared his throat and backed away from them, saying, "I'll just be… over here, getting my stuff ready…"

The glaring contest continued until they both relaxed at the same time. A smile ghosted across Spike's face.

"Let's get some food into you while we fight about it, alright?"

"I already ate my last sandwich. I'm fine. I can fight just as well hungry." Her own lips twitched in response.

"They have real food here, pet. I checked for you. You'll hurt their feelings if you don't at least have some fruit and cheese. I'm going to wolf down some raw liver, myself."

"Okay, if I did have an appetite, that thought would have trashed it completely."

In spite of her protest, she followed him to the kitchen area where a long buffet table had been set up for those who lived too far away to go home and make their own breakfast. Taking a small plate, Buffy put some cheese and melon slices on it, adding a piece of toast with cream cheese. Spike managed to swallow the raw liver that the kitchen staff had produced without actually letting anyone see him do it, and he joined her at a small table, smacking his lips and licking off any last traces of blood.

"You're totally gross, you know," she said, using dainty fingers to pick up a piece of melon.

"And yet you love me anyway," he said with a grin.

"I do," she replied, suddenly serious. "And that's why I don't want you to come with us. And anyway, it's daytime. The sun might be out." He just raised his eyebrow. "Well, it might. You don't know!"

"One," he said, holding up his hand and folding down one finger, "we'll be in the woods. Even if the bloody sun does make an appearance, I'll be alright with my hat and what's left of my coat. Two – I can scent the little buggers, so can help with the tracking. Three – if the lair is in a cave, you'll need somebody who can see in the dark. And four…."

Buffy cocked her head. "Four?"

"I'm going and that's an end to it."

She glared into his eyes, which did not reflect their usual warmth but only a cold determination, and then suddenly gave in.

"Fine. You can come. But you don't try to fight anything that has fangs and claws bigger than yours. All right?"

"No promises if it comes after you, but yeah, I'll do my best not to provide today's lunch."

Satisfied that each had received any and all concessions the other was willing to make, they relaxed, and Buffy quickly gulped the rest of her breakfast. They joined the group George had gathered at the front of the big room, nodding in approval at both the weapons displayed and the smoldering torches being carefully protected by several younger members of the group. All the torch bearers had containers of fuel and extra matches or lighters in case the torches needed coaxing to burst into flame when needed.

"The hunters are going to meet us at the edge of the woods. They've followed a few trails, but the ones that escaped seem to have scattered in several different directions so we'll have to spread out a bit at first." He looked at Spike. "I suspect your predator's nose will be much sharper than ours. Maybe you will pick up on something our trackers missed."

"Bad as the little buggers smell, I'm surprised the Slayer can't follow their scent," he said, ducking her half-hearted swing at his head. "But, yeah, I shouldn't have too much trouble." He pointed to the crushed brush right in front of them and asked one of the hunters, "I'm guessing that's where the overgrown wolverine came from?"

The hunter introduced himself as Joe and nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty easy to follow it back until it gets smaller. Eventually, it isn't much different from the tracks left by all the little ones."

"That'd be where they first started to clump together then. Let's see what we can follow from there."

The forest demon nodded again, and turned to lead the way. "That's what we figured, but George said just to get a general direction from the trails leading away, so we waited for you and the Slayer."

"Let's go, then," Buffy said, stepping up behind Spike who was already visibly testing the scents.

The majority of the trackers had spread out, following as best they could the barely visible trails left by the fleeing creatures. There was a shout as one of them spotted a small weasel, but before he could capture it, it fell apart and the smaller pieces were soon lost in the underbrush.

For the first fifteen minutes, the trackers were moving further and further apart, then, Buffy noticed, they seemed to be coming closer. "Is something wrong?" she asked the first one to get close to them.

He shook his head. "No, the trail turned and started in this direction." Gradually, they were joined by the other trackers as their trails, in turn, joined the one Spike had been following.

"Looks like they're all headed in the same direction now," he said. "Look sharp everybody, and be ready to fire up those torches."

Moving carefully, but more swiftly, they sped along the now-visible-to-everyone trail until they found themselves stopping at the edge of the trees in front of what seemed to be an abandoned mine entrance. The doorway was still visible, but the large beams bracing the sides had long since started to crumble so the opening looked more like a cave than an artificial construction.

Buffy and Spike turned to George who shrugged. "It's probably one of ours, but it looks like it's been out of use since way before my time."

"Let me just take a look…" Spike started across the clearing toward the entrance, halting when Buffy grabbed at his torn sleeve. "Relax, love. I'm just going to stick my nose in, take a few sniffs, maybe look around. Won't go in very far…."

"You're not going in at all without me," she said, stamping her foot.

"Give me five minutes. If I'm not back, or you haven't heard from me, bring on the pitchforks and torches, yeah?"

"I'll go in with you," Joe volunteered. "My night sight is better than most. Not as good as yours, probably, but as long as we're within sight of the entrance, I should be able to see where I'm going." He handed off his bow and arrows, and borrowed a pick from one of the group.

With Buffy and George hovering at the entrance, Spike and Joe slipped inside the mine. They moved quietly, stopping often to sniff the air and stare around. Spike held his hand up, halting the hunter and gesturing ahead. Although Joe's vision was much better than that of anyone not from a long line of underground workers, it was already getting too dark for him to see much besides the walls on either side.

He waited while Spike went into game face and gave a silent snarl that was answered from somewhere much too close for comfort. Spike pushed lightly against the other man's chest, backing up slowly without taking his eyes off the dark area in front of them. A rustling sound from the darkness was all it took for Joe to understand what was happening and he began to back up much more quickly, keeping his eyes focused on the darkness. As they got closer to the entrance, he could see the large shadow that was gaining speed as it followed them.

It charged just as they were close enough for those outside to see them, and Buffy snatched one of the torches from its holder. "Give me that!" she said, dropping her sword and darting forward. She waved the smoldering torch until it burst into flames and ran into the cave entrance just in time to push it into the face of the charging creature. With a snarling scream, it halted, allowing Spike, Joe and Buffy to retreat to the relative safety of the clearing.

"More torches! Now!" Buffy ordered, standing in the doorway and holding hers in front of her. She was quickly joined by several other torchbearers who had all coaxed their flames into life. Spike ran to George, saying, " I've got a plan…"

After whispered conversation, George grinned and nodded. "We can do that," he said. "Got the stuff right here." Dropping his pack onto the ground, he began to remove things.

Spike pointed at several of the other men in the group. "You, you, and you, gather up as much dry wood and brush as you can."

While Buffy and her crew kept the snarling creature at bay, the men who were collecting wood began returning with armfuls of dry tinder and dead wood. Spike frowned and began muttering to himself. Nodding his head at no one, he ran back to George. "Are you ready?"

"I'll need to be inside to set the charges," George said.

"Yeah. Need to get the fire materials inside too. Alright, here's the plan…."

Buffy glanced over her shoulder when he approached. "What's the what? This isn't getting us anywhere, it's just keeping it from getting out."

"Know that, pet. Got a plan, but we need to force it back about twenty or thirty yards."

"Can we do that?"

"Shouldn't be a problem. The torches will provide enough light for you all to see where you're going, and I'll be right behind you. I'll be able to see far enough into the mine to know if it's trying to escape or if any pieces fall off and try to run past you." He quickly ran through the plan with the boys holding the torches, gave instructions to the men holding the firewood, and nodded to George that they were ready.

"Show time, love."

Buffy said, "Let's go, guys. Stay together and keep the torches pointed at that thing's face. We need to back it up as far as we can without getting too far from the way out." Advancing slowly, they used the flames to make the snarling creature back up. "If anybody's torch goes out, you get out of here; the rest of us will fill the space."

Behind them, George was busy about ten yards inside the entrance where there was plenty of light coming in for him to use to see what he was doing. Meanwhile, much farther into the cave, wood was being carefully piled up all the way across the tunnel, creating a wall of highly combustible materials. Buffy cast a quick look over her shoulder at the activity behind her. At a signal from George, the men piling up the firewood retreated into the daylight.

"Time to go," Spike said, leaping over the barrier of dry wood. He continued to back up, watching as the torch bearers ran past, dropping their flaming torches at the bottom where the driest tinder had been placed. Buffy remained until the last boy was safely running from the cave before throwing her own torch at the demon and turning to run. With a whoosh, the pile of wood burst into flames just as she jumped over it, singeing the bottom of her jeans.

"Get out!" she shrieked at Spike who had stopped to wait for her. "I won't catch fire that easily. You will!"

He didn't respond except to grab her hand and pull her after him. As soon as they burst out of the mine entrance, George pressed the plunger on his charges. For a second, it looked like nothing was going to happen, but then there was a roar and a rumble that shook the ground. When the noise stopped and the dust cleared, the mine entrance was invisible, a large portion of the hillside having slid down to cover it.

"Let's go," George said, barely glancing at the landslide he'd created.

"Don't want to stay and admire your handiwork?" Spike seemed surprised and almost offended that George didn't want share the destruction appreciation with him.

"I've been mining my entire life," George said. "I know what my work looks like. Right now, I want to get into the archives, find this mine, and make sure it doesn't have any other exits. If it does, I'll need to find them before the beast can."

"Ah. Good point. Go on, then. The Slayer and I will bring up the rear… just in case."

As the K'vlecks began the trek back to their village, Spike slid to the ground and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"What's wrong?" Buffy dropped down beside him, frowning at the pinched look around his mouth.

"Think my little leap over the firewall might have pulled something open. I just need to rest a bit…."

Before he finished speaking, Buffy was pulling his coat off, gasping at the blood leaking through his shirt. "Dammit! I told you—"

"Don't start," he said, his voice temporarily stronger, then fading again. "Did what I had to do. I'll be fine."

"I know you will," she said, laying him down on his side and lying down next to him. She pulled him over on top of her body, wriggling until they were stretched out together in a familiar fashion. She nipped at his neck, running her lips from there to his mouth and back to nibble on his throat again. A rumbling purr followed her actions.

"What are you doing, love?" He moaned and pressed into her. "An' don't think that's a request to stop, but…."

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm turning you on so you'll want to bite me." She brought her legs up around his hips, taking care not to touch any of the wounds on his back. Rocking into him, she said, "I don't want to get naked out here in the woods, but we can fake it."

"There's nothing fake about what I'm rubbing against you, Slayer," he growled. "But I've got no problem with being naked. Who's gonna see us? Squirrels?"

"The K'vlecks might come back to see what's taking us so long… and I so am not providing that kind of show. This is a good as it gets. Take it or leave it."

"Leaving it isn't an option," he murmured as he began to kiss her. "You know me better than that."

"I do," she giggled and moved her legs down to hold his thighs in place while she arched up against him. "I know you."

"Shameless hussy," he gasped as he began to rock against her. Buffy clung to him, working herself against him, her breath coming faster and harder and whimpers escaped her throat as the sensation built. When Spike slid his fangs into the mark on her neck, she muffled her scream in his shoulder as she shook under him. He sucked on his mark, pulling her rich blood into his mouth and exploding with his own orgasm.

They lay quietly for several seconds, Spike licking the blood still trickling out until he realized how quiet Buffy was. He raised his head and stared at her, the fear in his eyes undisguised even though his senses told him that her heartbeat was strong and even.

"I'm okay," she said, reading his fear and reaching up to soothe his wrinkled brow away.

"I took too much."

"You took what you needed. It's okay. I'll be fine. And if I'm not…."

"If you're not, I'm never biting you again." She just stared at him, then shook her head.

"Yeah. Right. Maybe if your teeth all fall out…"

"What? I can love you without biting you. We're thoroughly mated. It's not like we haven't done that enough that we need to be renewing it all the bloody time."

"Okay, fine. You won't bite me again. I'm not food, and you don't like it when you drink my blood. Got it. But you're feeling good enough to argue now, and I'll bet your back looks like new. So get off me and let's start back before they come looking for us."

She rolled him off, no longer worried about his wounded back, and got to her feet. He stood up beside her, his expression thunderous. "You're too pale."

"I live in a world where the sun hardly ever shines, and I work nights. I'm fine. Come on." Buffy started off, leaving a growling vampire to follow her as best he could while trying to keep his sticky jeans from chaffing his favorite body part. When she faltered after a few hundred yards, he was there to catch her before she could sit down.

"Told you so," he said, good humor restored. Buffy rolled her eyes, but made no objection when he scooped her up and strode off, his tattered coat flapping in their wake.

"You know, you're going to have to throw this thing out when we get home. It looks more like a leather loin-cloth than a coat." She rested her head against his chest and smiled. "Although the thought of you in a leather loin-cloth is pretty interesting…."

They hadn't quite reached the village when Joe appeared, walking toward them with a worried look on his face. When he saw that Spike was carrying Buffy he ran to them. "What happened? Is she hurt?"

"I'm fine, Joe," Buffy said, indicating to Spike that he should put her down. "Spike needed some first aid and it kinda tired me out. But I'm good."

"If you're sure…" Joe looked dubious. "I can get a litter out here and—"

"We're okay, mate. Thanks anyway. Slayer just needs some food and drink and then I think we'll head for home. Should make it by bedtime if we leave early enough."

Joe nodded and disappeared, jogging in the direction of the village. By the time Spike and Buffy walked into the Community Center, Eilene was waiting for them, as was a full range of human and vampire food. The healer watched carefully as Buffy immediately drank a whole pitcher of water and then made herself a sandwich of roast beef and cheese. While Spike gulped down more raw liver and patted his stomach happily, he kept his eyes on Buffy, not relaxing until he could see the color back in her cheeks. His eyes met Eilene's and she frowned at him, looking back and forth between Buffy and her vampire.

"She's very stubborn," he said with a shrug. Buffy glared at him, then smiled at Eilene.

"I'm fine," she assured her. "He's fine and I'm fine. By tomorrow morning I'll be… even more fine."

The healer sighed. "I suppose you know what's best for you. This is all new to me, and I don't suppose I'll ever need the information again."

"Let's hope not," Buffy said, helping herself to another slab of meat and more water.

After they'd eaten, rested and been thanked profusely by both George and most of the villagers, they got in the car and waved their good-byes. Spike blew a kiss to the little girl he'd befriended the first night, assuring her they would come back to visit someday.

"Are you okay to drive, really?"

"I'm fine, pet. Lie down and get some kip while I get us home, yeah?"

"Talked me into it," Buffy said, already putting her head on his lap. "Let me know when we get there."

He rested one hand on her head, stroking her hair softly as he drove through the countryside, taking them home.

He pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine with a sigh of relief. Buffy raised her head and looked around, blinking against the darkness.

"Where are we?"

"We're home, love. Time to get into our own comfy bed and get some real sleep."

When Buffy started to the rear of the car to unload, he said, "Leave it. We'll get it tomorrow." He didn't look back at her as he started toward the front door, swaying just a little at the top of the steps. Buffy was on the porch beside him before he could get his key in the lock, putting his arm over her shoulder and taking the key herself.

"You moron," she said, opening the door and steering him toward the bedroom. "My blood is awesome, but it can't work miracles. Why didn't you stop to rest if you were so tired?"

"Wanted to do my resting in my own bed," he growled, sitting down and letting her untie his boots while he skinned out of his tee shirt. He fell backwards, not arguing when she picked his legs up and swung them onto the mattress. His eyes closed, and he went as still as the corpse he really was before Buffy had even pulled his boots and pants off. Shaking her head, she pulled the quilt up out from underneath him, covered him with it, and left the bedroom to lock the front door.

She thought briefly about taking a shower, then settled for a quick pee and brushing her teeth before going into the bedroom. She was shedding clothes as she walked, arriving at the bed nude and chilly. Sliding in between the sheets, she snuggled up to Spike, hoping he could feel her warmth through the bedding between them. As soon as his arm flopped over her waist, she smiled and let herself drift back into the pleasant sleep that had been interrupted by their arrival home.

At some point during the night, she awoke long enough to feel Spike squirming under the covers and snuggling up behind her, bare skin to bare skin. If she needed any sign of how tired he really was, the fact that he quit moving the instant he was pressed up against her would have done it. Her own eyes drifted shut again as she pulled his arm more tightly around her body.

Her own panting moans woke her the next morning. Spike had obviously recovered more quickly than she had. He was visible only as a large lump under the covers, where he was kissing his way down her body while his fingers played magical tunes on the suddenly needy spot between her legs. Her "Gah!" almost drowned out the popping sound from the kitchen, but Spike's growl and subsequent appearance from under the blankets told her she hadn't imagined the sound.

"Buffy? Spike? Are you awake? And decent?"

"Yes! And No!" Buffy hastily added, peering around on the floor for her bathrobe. "Just hold on a minute." She spotted the robe and giving Spike a kiss on his disappointed face, she jumped out of bed and wrapped the robe around her. "Are you coming?" she asked, looking over her shoulder as she reached for the door.

"Apparently not," he said with a pout. He pulled his pants on and zipped them, frowning at Buffy when she just stared at him. "What?"

"Put a shirt on," she said, throwing it to him. "Dawn doesn't need to know that much about you."

Rolling his eyes he yanked the shirt over his head and followed her to the kitchen where Dawn was waiting impatiently.

"It's about time," she said. "Were you going to stay in bed all day?"

"Thought had crossed my mind," Spike said, glaring at her. She ignored his glare and stepped out of her portal to hug Buffy.

"I'm sorry," she said to her sister. "But there's some stuff going down in Sunnydale and Buffy said to let you know that if it comes down to it, they may need you there."

"Of course! But what can we do? Won't we be stuck in the portal?"

"Yeah. I think they want you mostly as backup if they need to convince… somebody… that they're telling the truth."

"Do we have to leave now?" Buffy asked with resignation in her voice. "We just got back from—"

"No, no. Not now. Buffy's trying to handle it herself, but she just wanted to give you a heads up so you check for messages from them every day. I guess she thinks if she does need you, it might be an emergency of some kind."

"What kind of emergency?"

Dawn shrugged. "I guess if the Intia— You know what? Nothing. It's probably going to be nothing. Just hang close to home for a while, okay? Just in case."

"That's it? My morning was interrupted just so you could tell us to stay home?" Spike's glare had turned lethal, but Dawn stared back at him unperturbed. He wondered briefly what other talents she might have that made her so impervious to his implied threats, deciding to settle for glaring at her.

"It's 3:00 in the afternoon. And you two can go back to whatever you were doing as soon as I leave. Which is about now…" She stepped back into the portal, waved and disappeared with another ear shattering "pop".

"Bloody nuisance, you sister is," Spike growled. "And the other you too, for that matter. Do they think we have nothing better to do than sit around waiting for a call for help from them?"

"They came when _we _needed _them_," Buffy reminded him, slipping her arms around him from behind and holding him tightly. "If they hadn't, we probably wouldn't be here now – either one of us."

He relaxed and nodded. "I know that, love. I'm just being a wanker about being interrupted." He turned around in her embrace and lowered his head to kiss her. "Now where were we?"

Buffy giggled and moved away. "I think you were about… here," she said, dropping her bathrobe to the floor and pointing to where his attention was already focused. She spun around to run to the bedroom, Spike only a half-step behind her. He tackled her to the bed and held her down with his body while he mock-growled and sucked on her neck. "Cheeky bint."

"Cheeky bint who loves you," she breathed, wriggling beneath him.

"It's the only reason I put up with you," he said, his words belied by his warm gaze as he allowed her to turn over to face him.

"Liar." She smiled back at him. "You are such a liar."

" Well, this delectable body might have somethin' to do with it…." He pushed himself up on his arms and gazed down at her. "Might have a whole lot to do with it now that I think about it…."

"Prove it," she challenged.

"Oh, you're on, Slayer. Hang on to your hat."

"Rather hang on to you," she said as he skimmed out of his clothes and pressed himself against her.

"That works too."

They never heard the tiny pop that was the note from Sunnydale's Buffy appearing on the kitchen table.

**The End**


	3. Meanwhile, Back at the Hellmouth

**Meanwhile, Back at the Hellmouth...**

We begin with the last few lines from _Pop Goes the Weasel_ – in which we left Winterset's Spike and Buffy too busy to notice they had received a note from "our" Spike and Buffy.

" _Well, this delectable body might have somethin' to do with it…." He pushed himself up on his arms and gazed down at her. "Might have a whole lot to do with it now that I think about it…."_

"_Prove it," she challenged._

"_Oh, you're on, Slayer. Hang on to your hat."_

"_Rather hang on to you," she said as he skimmed out of his clothes and pressed himself against her._

"_That works too."_

_They never heard the tiny pop that was the note from Sunnydale's Buffy appearing on the kitchen table. _

~~~~~~~Back in Sunnydale...

"So, where's the answer? I thought you took the note yesterday?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Contrary to what you guys seem to think, I have other things to do besides pop in and out of dimensions delivering messages. It wasn't anything important, so I—"

"Not _important! _What do you mean, _not important!" _Behind Buffy's back, Spike was making throat-cutting gestures at Dawn and shaking his head vigorously. When Buffy whirled to glare at him, he adopted an air of innocence that did nothing to fool her. "Don't you think it's important?" The look on her face had him sending a quick glance around the room to be sure there were no pointy wooden objects close by.

"Of course, I think it's important, love. How can you doubt it? Took you out for a romantic dinner, got down on one knee, gave you a ring... Didn't I do it up right when I asked you to marry me? How can you doubt how important it is to me?"

"Well, you aren't being very supportive about it," she muttered. "Every time I try to ask you something important, like... like what color the tablecloths should be, you go running off on some stupid errand. I don't think you really care if we have a nice wedding or not." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she waited for him to defend himself.

Spike took a deep breath and stepped close enough to put his arms around her unyielding body. Ignoring her frown, he held her close and nibbled on her neck before taking her earlobe in his teeth and biting it gently. His grip tightened as he spoke, ignoring Dawn's presence.

"Buffy, Slayer, love of my life, I _don't_ care what color the tablecloths are. I don't care about anything except that the woman I would have been happy to get a crumb from is willing to marry me. That you said yes when I asked you to be mine in the eyes of the whole bloody world – not to mention two other worlds... that means more to me than any trappings that go with making that happen. And I know this is important to you, and that you want to be all girlie and bride-like about it, but you have to know, the most important thing to me is that we're going to be married. Anything else is icing on the cake. Don't bloody care what color the icing is, or who else is there to eat cake. All I care about is you."

He kept his grip on her arms until she nudged his chin with her head. "Are you holding me because you love me, or because you think if you let go I might beat you to a pulp?"

"Bit of both," he admitted, smiling down at her in what he hoped was an appealing fashion. "Just don't want you brassing off your sister over something we've got plenty of time to sort out"

"I'm turning into a bridezilla, aren't I?" she said, sighing and relaxing against his chest. She remained there for several minutes while he murmured in her ear and left kisses all over her face. Finally she exhaled and pushed him away. Turning to Dawn, who had begun clearing her throat impatiently, she smiled. "I'm sorry, Dawnie. Of course there's no rush. All I did was ask them to save the date and tell them the invitation would be there later."

"No problem," Dawn replied, giving Spike a grateful smile. "I'll let you know as soon as we get a reply. I'm sure they'll be all excited for you."

"I wish they could step out of those bubbles," Buffy said. "How awesome would it be to have myself as my maid of honor?"

"Hey! _I'm_ your maid of honor!"

"Of course, you are," Buffy soothed, backtracking quickly. "I was just saying..."

"You were just saying you'd rather hog all the attention. I'm leaving now. Tell Mom I said hi." Dawn tossed her hair back, waved at Spike, and stepped into her waiting portal. In the time since she'd first learned how to travel between dimensions, she'd perfected her ability until she could pretty much come and go as she pleased. She no longer needed her blood to open the portals; now she just spit on the ground where she wanted one to open.

Buffy watched it wink out of sight and sighed heavily.

"Well, that didn't go the way I planned it to..."

"She'll be alright, love. I imagine it's a bit of stretch even for Niblet to be bouncing back and forth tryin' to help plan a wedding."

"For a bridezilla," Buffy said, giving him a look clearly meant to elicit a denial. Being Spike, he ignored her hint to lie.

"Doesn't help, that."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You're supposed to tell me how impressed you are with how well I'm handling all this stress."

"Buffy... sweetheart... darling girl..." He sighed and shook his head. "There is no stress except what you're creating by wanting everything to be so perfect. You'd think it was your bloody first Thanksgiving dinner or something!"

"My wha—? Oh. It went so well this time around, I forgot you were there for that disaster."

"Was. Tied up nicely in a chair, as I recall. While you ran around smashing potatoes and making pies and bears."

"Don't remind me." She shuddered. "It was awful! Xander with his syphilis, you showing up wanting me to help you because Harmony threw you out. Stupid Indians and their stupid curses and magic, bear-making knives..."

He put his arms around her again and pulled her into a tight hug. "And you handled it all. Killed the bear, got rid of the curses, and still put a right nice meal on the table. If you could handle all that, I've got complete faith in your ability to handle this wedding. It will be perfect... or near enough to that nobody but you will know."

"You know you've probably just jinxed the whole thing, right? Whatever goes wrong will be all your fault!"

"Never doubted that for a minute," he said, bouncing away from her indignant attempt to hit him and laughing at her. Buffy did her best to remain angry, but the adoration in his eyes and the grin on his face made it difficult.

"Just so you hold that thought," she said in a face-saving grumble. "Let's go find some vampires for me to work out my stress on. Otherwise it might be you."

"One stress-relieving slaying, coming right up," he agreed, grabbing his coat off a chair and walking to the weapons chest. He opened it and surveyed the contents. "What's your pleasure, love?" He gestured at the assortment of stakes and swords.

She frowned into the chest and thought.

"Stakes, of course. But probably swords too? Or maybe a rocket launcher?"

The reminder that in spite of Buffy's knowledge about the Initiative, and Giles and the Council's ability to bring it to the attention of the US Government, the operation had not been shut down yet, and that they hadn't been able to prevent Adam from becoming viable brought a growl from Spike. Without her relationship with Riley—and hadn't that been fun, trying to be friendly enough to get Riley to trust her, without making Spike so jealous he got himself captured while stalking them everywhere they went—Buffy hadn't had enough access to the Initiative facility to interfere with Adam's creation. As a result, evening patrols were just as apt to encounter hard-to-kill cyborgs as they were vampires or demons.

So far, those they ran into were usually alone and not as invulnerable as Buffy knew Adam to be, but they still required something stronger than a stake to their non-existent hearts. Spike laughed, but left the one-shot weapon in the box and handed Buffy a sword.

"Long as we can lop the head off, we can slow them down enough to take out the power supply."

Buffy nodded and put the sword in its harness on her back. "Yeah, I know. But fighting these guys every night – not to mention all the vampire and demons minions he's collecting – is putting a serious crimp in my wedding preparation time. If the Council doesn't light a fire under the Army pretty soon, we're going to have to go after Adam ourselves."

Adam's continued successful attempts to increase the size of his army eventually made it imperative that Buffy take Riley into her confidence – at least insofar as what she knew about Adam was concerned. But only when some of their friends had been turned into minor cyborgs, had Buffy felt comfortable bringing Riley and Graham to a Scooby meeting where Giles could tell them what they knew about the organization and what could happen if the lab wasn't shut down quickly. Their refusal to tell the soldiers exactly how Buffy knew so much about them wasn't going over well.

"Let me get this straight... you are something called 'the Slayer', and because of that, you know all this stuff about our... projects?" Riley was dividing his attention between Buffy and the man leaning against the wall in the back of the shop. The man who never took his eyes off Riley, except to glare at Graham occasionally. There was something about that cold stare that made hairs on Riley's neck stand up.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I mean, I've seen you in action. I know you're not the average Sunnydale U coed, but I truly don't see how in hell you could know anything about what's going on in our labs—" A full-throated snarl from the "man" against the wall had both Riley and Graham reaching for their guns.

"We _both_ know more about your torture chambers than you can imagine," Spike said, pushing off the wall and stalking toward them. "So shut your trap and listen to the woman who's trying to clean up your mistakes."

Buffy had gotten between Spike and Riley as soon as she heard the snarl, putting a hand on his chest and halting his progress toward the two men just realizing what he was. "Not helping, Spike," she said. "Now I have to explain you."

"Explaining why somebody who calls herself a 'vampire slayer' has one in her little gang of vigilantes might be a good thing right about now," Riley said, having replaced his gun with a stake. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't stake him?"

"Because I won't let you," Buffy said, simultaneously with Spike's "Bring it on, Captain America. I'm not so toothless now."

The standoff was interrupted by the loud pop that always announced Dawn's arrival. While Riley and Graham gaped at the girl who had just appeared in their midst, Buffy rolled her eyes and Giles groaned.

"Oops?" Dawn noticed the two strangers and gave Buffy an apologetic shrug. "Sorry?"

"No worries, Bit," Spike said, giving her his usual greeting hug as she stepped out of the portal. "You probably just kept the toy soldier from having his head ripped off."

"Hi, and ewwwww!" She looked around at the still gawking soldiers. "Riley? Hey! How are you?"

"D... do I know you?" Riley shook his head, absently filing away the information that only he and Graham seemed surprised to see someone arrive in a bubble that disappeared when she waved her hand.

"Oh – well, no... I guess you don't. But you will... or maybe not," she added, remembering that Buffy was very much with Spike in this dimension. She sighed and looked at Buffy. "Is this not a good time?"

Giles answered for Buffy. "I suppose, given that it seems we're going to need to provide more of an explanation than what we had hoped to get away with, the arrival – in such unusual fashion – of someone who can vouch for what we're going to share, has to be considered a beneficial surprise." He turned to Riley and Graham. "Gentlemen, this is Buffy's younger sister, Dawn. Please sit down and keep your minds open to what you are going to hear."

Sending suspicious glares at Spike, who at Buffy's urging had retreated to his place against the wall and was talking to Dawn in low tones, they reluctantly pulled out chairs and sat. They were careful to remain closer to the door than anyone else in the room, but when everyone except Spike and Dawn had found a chair around the table, they gradually relaxed.

"So, what don't we know?" Graham tried to take over from a still shocked Riley, and addressed his question to both Buffy and Giles.

Buffy waved her hand at Giles. "You tell them. You can use big words and make it sound all scientific and stuff."

Giles nodded. "I'll do my best." He focused on the two men looking at him expectantly. "You do understand what Buffy is, do you not?" They nodded uncertainly.

"She has some kind of enhancements that make her stronger than normal girls. So, she hunts vampires and demons, just like we do. She's a demon hunter – or vampire slayer, I guess."

"Well, that is her title, but the job is a bit more complicated than that. She is, for want of a better term, the world's protector. Not only is she charged with slaying vampires and demons—"

"Evil demons!" Buffy interrupted.

"—evil demons, but she also thwarts attempts to take over or end the world – regardless of the source of those attempts. For whatever reason, no doubt related to the Hellmouth..." He waited for them to acknowledge their familiarity with Sunnydale's least popular tourist attraction. "... some sort of potential world-ending event seems to occur every spring. We refer to them as apocalypses – and Buffy has become quite expert at preventing them."

"How 'expert' can someone who is younger than we are be?" Clear disbelief was on both faces.

There were groans all around the table, while Spike and Dawn snickered from their place in the back.

"See," Buffy said. "Here's where it gets really... really weird."

Riley gave a cynical smile. "Are you planning to tell us that you're really a hundred-year-woman in a nineteen-year-old body?"

Buffy cocked her head at him, her demeanor changing until, in spite of the youthfulness of her face, it was obvious she was not a teenager.

"No. I'm not a hundred – and I doubt I ever will be. That kind of lifespan doesn't come with my job description—" She paused to smile at Spike who had muttered a protest. "Although I'm doing way better than most slayers, thanks partly to all the help I've had." She waved her hand around the room, including not only Giles, but everyone, including Spike and Dawn.

"What I am," she continued, pulling their attention back on her, "is the Buffy who lives—lived in Sunnydale in a different dimension from this one. A dimension in which it's already 20..."

She raised an eyebrow at Dawn who responded, "2006. I don't know why you can't remember that..."

"2006," Buffy said. "So, the me that I am...inside... is a lot older and has already lived through three apocalypses here, four more there... and had people I care about die in one more somewhere else." She glanced at Spike briefly, smiling when he waved.

"And we're supposed to believe that?"

Buffy heaved a sigh and began to describe to them as much as she could remember of layout of the Initiative, Lowell House and it's secret entrance, Adam and his cyborg assistants, and his plan to dominate the world and fill it with his own creations. She paused only long enough to take a deep breath and then told Riley some personal things about himself that the Buffy he thought he knew could not possibly have known.

"You both watched Dawn come through the portal. That's how she goes back and forth between here and the dimension I... left."

"You're from another dimension too?" They both looked at Dawn who had approached the table when she heard her name.

"Yep. When Buffy disappeared, it took us a long time to find out where she'd gone, and then when we found her, we didn't know how to bring her back. Turned out I have some... skills... that allow me to hop through dimensions. So, I lost my sister in my world, but I can visit her whenever I want to here. Works out okay – except that I can't borrow her clothes anymore."

"You couldn't borrow my clothes anyway, you freak of nature," Buffy muttered at her now much taller sister. Dawn just stuck out her tongue and sat in one of the chairs.

"I don't understand how you know all that stuff..." Riley shook his head in disbelief, while Graham nodded. "Not just the stuff about the Initiative, which is supposed to be top, top secret, but about me. How do you know all that stuff about me?"

Buffy bit her lip and glanced at Spike who was staring at them with a carefully blank expression on his face. She turned back to Riley and blushed as she said, "In the other Sunnydale, the one where it's much later than this, we were... together... for a while. Like boyfriend/girlfriend together."

He perked up and smiled at her. "Well, that's encouraging. It's not like I haven't been trying to get you to go out with me. What did I do differently in your... world?" He choked out the word and shrugged. "Sorry. I'm still trying to wrap my brain about that whole idea of another dimension."

"Actually, there are three dimensions – that we know of right now." Dawn grinned at Riley when he gawked at her.

"Three?"

"Well, yeah. But one of them isn't much like here. It's kind of the anti-Sunnydale. It's where the Buffy and Spike from this dimension got sent when my Spike and Buffy got put here."

Riley rubbed his temples and frowned. "So, every dimension has it's own Buffy... and..." He waved his hand at Spike.

"No." Dawn's face fell. "My world doesn't have either one of them anymore. Spike was dust, and Buffy just got whisked away to here. I can only talk to them when I visit. Same thing for the other Spike and Buffy. Although they don't care as much, because they didn't know me until I showed up in their front yard..."

"I'm sure there's an explanation for that, and I'm also sure my brain probably couldn't take it just now." He smiled at Dawn to show he wasn't dismissing her, but then turned back to Buffy. "Same question, though. If we were together in your world, why aren't we dating now? What's different?"

Buffy met his hopeful eyes firmly and said, "I am. And Spike is."

**Chapter Two**

"The _vampire?"_

"Spike isn't your average vampire," Buffy said evenly, as she stared into Riley's disgusted eyes. "He also isn't the Spike I met when I first got to this dimension. He's the Spike from my—Dawn's—dimension, who died trying to stop another apocalypse and was sent back to me as a reward." At Riley's "But you—" she interrupted him. "A reward for both of us. And for this world." She stopped and dared Riley to contradict her. When it seemed that he might, Giles stepped in.

"I seems that part of the Powers That Be's plan for Spike and Buffy is for them to use their hard-won knowledge of the dangers that will arise here, to, if not eliminate them entirely, at least mitigate their ability to cause havoc. It has worked out fairly well, so far. Life here is not without its dangers and potential world-ending events; however, so far they have been able to proactively step in and change the course of events enough to avoid any near-disasters. It is our hope that, with your help, she can do the same thing with Adam. Any suggestions you may have would be more than welcome."

Riley focused on the parts that mattered to him as he ignored Giles in favor of asking Buffy, "Your reward was a vampire? For what? Extra muscle? Couldn't they just give Xander superpowers or something? I don't understand how that could be a reward. It would be like handing you a hot coal and saying, 'Here, don't burn yourself.'"

Buffy rolled her eyes, and turned to look at Spike before answering. His posture was more relaxed than she expected, but the stony expression on his face told her to choose her words very carefully. Forgoing the news about his soul for a while, she turned back to Riley.

"In our world, Spike has helped me with almost every apocalypse since he showed up when I was only a junior in high school. I'm not saying we were always best buddies, but I came to trust him and to depend on his help. And fighting together gave us a chance to..." She stopped and stood up, glaring across the table. "You know what? Here's the bottom line: Spike is my fiancé. We're getting married in a couple of months. That's really all you need to know. How we got here, and how long it took us to reach this point, is really none of your business. All you need to know is that he earned the right to be here just like I did—the hard way. And it's got nothing to do with taking down Adam, except that, that needs to happen before it can screw up my wedding."

Xander gave Riley a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as he removed himself to hide behind the counter. "Bridezilla is in the house. Adam doesn't stand a chance."

Buffy turned her glare on Xander, then back to Riley. "So, are you going to be helpful or are you going to get out of my way?"

One look around the room, where everyone, including the vampire, was trying to avoid making eye contact with Buffy, and Riley and Graham got to their feet and began inching toward the door.

"Helpful. We'll try to be helpful. Right now, I think we need to go talk about all this and think about what's the best thing to do. We don't know what Adam's vulnerabilities are yet. He doesn't seem to have any."

"His power supply is in his chest. I just need to get to him so I can rip it out and he's done."

"How do you know that?"

"It's what I did in my world. Dig, yank, toss, and watch monster fall down go boom."

"G...good to know." Casting frightened glances over their shoulders at Buffy's satisfied expression, Riley and Graham left the store as quickly as they could.

There was a short silence after they left, then Xander broke it. "Well, that went well, don't you think?"

"They probably think we're all insane," Buffy said with a sigh. "But maybe when they've had time to think about it—"

"They'll be sure of it," Willow said. "Think about it. Would we believe it? Alternate dimensions, portals, portal hopping sisters, future Buffys, dead future Spikes... have I left anything out?"

"I think it was Buffy's enthusiasm for ripping out what is essentially Adam's 'heart' that brought on their hasty retreat," Giles said with a wry smile.

"That's my girl!" Spike put his arm around Buffy and beamed at her. She elbowed him in the ribs, mumbling something about "bad influences", but her lips quirked in a smile.

"In the meantime, let's go patrol in case Adam's been out there recruiting..."

"Does he actually go out?" Willow asked. "I mean, seems like if he wanted to, he could just tramp around Sunnydale smushing anything that got in his way —even you."

"Trust me, in my time, he 'smushed' me pretty damn hard. I'm not really sure why that punch didn't kill me."

"Cough, hard head, cough, cough."

Buffy glared at Spike, who had wisely retreated to a spot near the door, before saying, "But you're right. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised he doesn't go out more. I wonder if there's some reason he has to stay close to where he was created?"

"That is certainly something worth exploring, Buffy. If we discover that is true, perhaps Riley and his men can ensure that all the humans are safely out and we can destroy the complex and all within it."

"Blow it up?" Xander and Spike exchanged delighted looks.

Giles sighed. "Yes, children. Blow it up. Preferably without taking out the entire campus of Sunnydale University. Willow will you—"

"I'm on it!" Willow bent over her laptop and pulled up the blueprints she found for the underground facility. After studying them over her shoulder for several minutes, Giles, Buffy and Spike straightened up and nodded at each other.

"Looks like most of the facility is under the woods. Which makes sense. That's where I got out – near a bunch of trees. They hid that exit under sod after I escaped, but it was on the edge of the woods."

"So, if we can make sure everybody is out of there..."

"And Riley's guys can send in enough explosives..."

"Bad guy go boom, and I can go back to planning my wedding. I like it!" Buffy concluded. "Let's go find Riley and Graham and tell them."

"You don't think you've given them enough to think about already, Buffy?" Xander frowned, his serious expression giving her some pause.

"But it's a great idea! And we should do it now, before he does start coming out and walking around where we have to deal with him where more people could get hurt."

"I believe Xander is—and you have no idea how it pains me to say this—correct, Buffy. You've given Riley and his friends some very difficult to believe information. They will need time to digest it, ask any questions they may have, and be confident that you know what you're doing. _Then_, perhaps they will be willing to take suggestions that require them to trust you to know what you need them to do."

Buffy's shoulders slumped. "Party poopers," she muttered, throwing herself into a chair. She sighed, then looked up at Dawn. "Sorry, Dawnie. I got so side-tracked I didn't even ask you what you were doing here. Is anything wrong?"

"No. Not really. I just thought I'd tell you that I have a message from the Winterset Buffy." She took an envelope from her pocket and passed it across the table. "I didn't talk to them, I just grabbed the envelope, so I don't know what it says. But if anything was wrong, I think they would have waited for me to show up or left a note for me."

Buffy opened the envelope, holding it so that Spike could read over her shoulder. She scanned through the note twice, then smiled. "It's all good. She just says 'Congratulations' and that they'll be here – even if they do have to stay inside a bubble."

Buffy tilted her head back to look up at Spike. "Do you think it'll give them any ideas?"

He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. "Dunno, love. That Spike doesn't have the soul to make him care about things like legalities or morals or mothers who keep hinting that he make an honest woman of her daughter. And that Buffy's a lot younger than you are. She may not be ready for something like marriage."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "They're _mated_ Spike. Just like we are. They already claimed each other. I'd say if either one of them wasn't ready for a commitment, it's a little bit too late."

"Point," he said with a shrug. "Who knows – they're us. They might have a few years of fighting ahead of them still."

"Well, anyway. The important thing is, they'll be here."

"Okay, well if that's all it was about, I'm going to take off again. We're going out to dinner tonight and I need to get cleaned up."

"Still see that Watcher wanker?" Spike asked, more to get a rise out of Dawn than because he was seeking actual information. As he'd expected, she bristled and glared at him.

"His _name_ is George. And I'll thank you to remember it. He might be your brother-in-law someday, you know."

"Trust me when I tell you that the idea of another Summers wedding anytime within the next ten years is enough to make me want to—" He caught a glimpse of the thunderous look growing on Buffy's face and stopped himself just in time. "—to insist that I get to meet this young man so that I can give him a proper welcome to the family." He beamed, pleased with what he considered a pretty good save, only to have Buffy smack the back of his head.

"Don't think for one second that I don't know what you were about to say. And if it was to throw yourself on a stake... well, that can be arranged."

"An' on that note, let's take ourselves out of here and find you something to destroy that isn't me." He held the door for her, waiting until she'd passed under his arm and out into the street before rolling his eyes at everyone in the shop. "Coming, love," he said as he shut the door behind them.

There was silence after they left, then everyone let out audible sighs of relief.

"Who wants to start a pool on how long Spike stays undusty?" Xander looked around the room. "Aw, come on. Even if he turns into a bigger whipped wuss than he is, he's still going to do something to piss her off before they can get married. I'll say six weeks. Who else is in?"

The girls just shook their heads and turned away, leaving Xander and Giles staring at each other. "G-man? What do you think?"

"I think, based on what they've told us about their world, and what we saw here before this world's Spike got sent away, that they've had many opportunities to kill each other since they first met and it has never happened. Clearly they are both capable of controlling any homicidal urges they may have, no matter how angry they may get."

"You're no fun," Xander muttered, flopping into a chair. "Hey, Dawn. What about you? You've known them longer than anybody here. What do you think?"

"I think you're an idiot," Dawn said. "I can't believe I had a crush on you when I was little."

"You think I'm an—wait, what? You had a crush on me?"

"I was ten. I got over it. About the time Spike came to town, I think..."

"Oh."

"Okay then. Good to see you guys, but I do have a date waiting for me, so..." Dawn waved her hand and stepped into the portal that reopened right where it had opened.

"Wow," Willow's voice was awestruck. "It's like it was waiting for you."

"It was," Dawn replied with a smile. "Bye, guys!" There was another "pop" as she and the portal disappeared.

"That is so cool..." Willow stared wistfully at the bare spot.

"When I was a vengeance demon, I could teleport anywhere or any when I wanted to go," Anya said with a sniff and a glare at Giles.

Remembering what Buffy had told him about Willow and magic in her world, Giles frowned at her obvious interest in Dawn's portal-opening skills and made a mental note to suggest she spend more time some training with him.

"I'll bet you Harris is laying odds right now on how long it'll be before you stake me," Spike said, nudging her shoulder with his. She made a humph noise and shoved him back.

"I wonder if the winner will split it with me if I pick their date to do it?"

"Is that your way of saying I should make myself scarce for the next few months?"

"It's my way of saying you need to stop rolling your eyes when I try to talk about plans for the wedding and try to be... okay, helpful is probably too much to ask, but... supportive?"

He threw an arm over her shoulder and squeezed. "I'm sorry, love. Truly I am. You know I want this as much as you do – I just don't know how to control my mouth sometimes."

"_Some_times?"

"Very funny, Slayer." He pulled her into a hug so that he could nibble on her neck and lick the place behind her ear that he knew made her heart race. "Sometimes I can do pretty amazing things with my mouth... would you like a little memory refresher? Hmmmm?"

Buffy gave her own answering hum of pleasure as he kissed and nibbled his way around all the skin he could get to on her neck and one shoulder. She was just about to suggest they pause for that promised refresher when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. At the same instant, Spike's head flew up and he snarled his challenge at the approaching cyborg. They broke apart, no conversation necessary as Spike drew his sword on Buffy's left, and she yanked hers out of its harness on her back. The half-human, half-machine creature didn't slow down when he saw two people with weapons facing him, but just continued on his single-minded quest to destroy.

"I think I've met this guy before," Buffy said, slicing at one arm, which did not fall off, but did dangle uselessly with several metallic-looking fibers clearly visible under the skin. Spike's equally quick removal of the creature's other arm, effectively disarming it when the arm and its built-in weapon fell to the ground, gave them the space they needed to get good swipe at its neck.

Buffy grunted when her powerful sweep only gashed the side of its neck, not severing the head as they'd been able to do with others they'd encountered.

"The bloody bastard is getting smarter," Spike said, whirling his own sword at the other side of its neck. "He's reinforcing the necks in them."

"Crap! Keep him busy, will you?"

Buffy moved around behind what used to be one of Riley's squad members and stabbed her sword into the middle of its back, hoping it hadn't occurred to Adam to reinforce the tissues surrounding the device that powered the body. When the point of the sword penetrated the power pack, there was a bright flash and the sound of sparking electricity. Buffy flew backwards and landed on the ground, her hand still clutching the now-glowing metal sword. The cyborg shuddered and toppled forward, just missing Spike, who leapt around it to where Buffy was lying on the ground, groaning, having thrown the sword some distance away.

"Buffy! Talk to me, Slayer. Are you all right?"

"Do I _look_ all right?" she whimpered, trying to sit up and failing miserably. "What the hell happened?"

"I think maybe poking metal objects you're holding in your bare hand into a powerful battery might not be the best approach to these things," he said, relaxing a little as he saw that she didn't seem to be seriously harmed. Putting his own sword where he could reach it easily, he knelt down and helped her to a sitting position. "May want to leave the poking things into all that electricity to the bloke who's already dead," he said, his concerned expression belying his light tone.

"Yeah, okay. New plan, I keep them busy and you stab them in the battery with sharp metal objects." She reached a hand toward his face, cupping his cheek and smiling at him. "I'll be fine," she said. "Stop looking all worried. You know I'm tougher than that."

"Doesn't mean you can't be electrocuted," he said, growling softly as he nuzzled into her hand. He helped her to her feet, holding on to her until he was sure she could stay upright. "Think that's enough for one night. We should go home now. I can come back out later and dust a few vamps if I need to."

Buffy shook her head. "Nope. Just because Riley knows you're with me doesn't mean you won't get captured if I'm not with you. It's too dangerous with those guys all spooked by what's happening to their friends. You'll just be another vamp to them, and if they don't dust you outright..."

"They'd put another chip in my head," he finished for her. "Not gonna let that happen, pet."

"If I go home, you come home," she stated in her best "I'm the Slayer and you'd better listen" tone of voice. Without waiting for an answer, she walked to the now immobile creature lying on the ground. Turning him over, she studied his face then sighed. "I think he used to be one of Riley's guys... For-something... Forrest! That's it. His name was Forrest." She shrugged and glanced at Spike. "I don't think he liked me very much – in our world or this one."

"Bugger got what was comin' to him then." Spike nudged the body with his toe. "What do you want to do with him?"

"I think we'll leave him here. If the police find him, it'll give them kind of a heads-up, if his ex-buddies find him... well, that'll be one more reason for them to want to help us, won't it?"

**Chapter Three**

When they reached the basement level apartment they'd rented not too far from Joyce's gallery, Spike sniffed the air and growled.

"What?" Buffy immediately tensed up but left her sword in its harness. Her hand throbbed from the burn on it, and she didn't really want to have to handle a weapon if she didn't need to.

"Dunno," he said, still sniffing. "Somebody's been here..." He put his key in the lock and pushed the door open, nostrils flaring as he inhaled the air from inside. "Don't think they were inside," he finally said, following Buffy in after a last scan of their surroundings.

The apartment was in the basement of a building housing a doughnut shop on the first floor and offices on the two floors above it, and on a street of equally commercial buildings. As a result, the neighborhood tended to be pretty deserted after early evening and it would be unusual for anyone to be walking near their somewhat secluded, ground-level entrance.

Buffy had turned on the lights, but did nothing else but shrug out of her sword harness and flop onto the couch. Spike frowned at her.

"What's wrong?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm okay. Just kinda still a little woozy."

He sat down on the edge of the couch and picked up her hand. "Need to do something about this burn," he said, kissing her palm so lightly she barely felt it. "Be right back."

He went to the refrigerator and took out one of many handy cold packs that filled their freezer, bringing it back and handing it to her. Buffy smiled her thanks and wrapped her sore hand around it. Spike threw his coat over a chair and sat on the couch, picking her feet up and placing them across his lap. He pulled her boots off and began to play with her toes, tickling her feet and making her giggle.

"Feeling better, love?" He wriggled his eyebrows at her, even as he picked up the remote and turned on the TV. "Could tickle something else for you if you need a distraction..."

"What I need is for my head to stop spinning..." She gave him an apologetic smile. "But hold that thought, 'K?"

He snorted. "Like you don't know that thought never leaves my mind when you're around."

She laughed softly and shook her head. "I don't know what you're going to do with yourself when I get old and—" Before he could protest that he would love her when she was bald and toothless, she sighed. "Guess that's not really something I'm going to need to worry about, is it?" She stared at him with suddenly frightened eyes. "Do you think the Powers plan to just keep bringing me back? That I'm never going to be allowed to die for real?"

"Bloody hell, pet! Where did that come from?" He dropped the remote and gaped at her. "The Powers that like to mess with people didn't bring you back when you _were_ dead. You can thank the witch for that." He stopped and took a deep breath. "Although don't expect me to ever be anything but happy that she did it. Hate that you didn't get that rest you deserved, and never want to see you that miserable again, but I can't ever be sorry you came back into my life. Don't ask me to pretend to."

"Yeah, but—"

"An' this time, they didn't resurrect you, they just sent you to a place where you'd have a better shot at being happy. And gave you a face-lift in process," he said, grinning and ducking when she tried to hit him.

"Very funny," Buffy muttered. "Are you perving on this younger body? Cause that would just be grounds for divorce before we even—"

"Slayer, I 'perved' on your body when you were a plump, juicy teenager, I lusted after it when you were all grown up with muscles and curves, I still wanted it when you were too thin from stress and working to save the world and I was all souled up and afraid to touch you. And I crave this version of it just as much as I did any of those other ones. But the most important thing about this one is that the woman I love is wearing it." He peered at her and gave a wicked smirk. "That, and the fact that my grandsire didn't get to put any scars on this one."

Her hand automatically went to her neck, feeling first the relatively smooth skin on the right, and then the small raised area on the other side where Spike's claiming bite marked her.

"You're an ass," she said, but she smiled anyway as she continued to stroke her scar.

"Ah, but I'm your arse," he replied, touching own neck and smiling back at her. "All signed, sealed and delivered."

"Come here." Buffy tugged on his arms until he was stretched out on the couch on top of her. "I think I'm feeling better." She wriggled beneath him and smiled at the delight on his face.

"Can't argue with that," he said, letting his weight press their bodies together. "If you felt any better, I'd probably just go off right here in my pants like a—"

"Kisses. Now."

His silent response was all she could have wished for, and they had soon rolled off the couch in the process of removing the clothing getting in their way. Spike was kissing his way down Buffy's body, enjoying the way he could make her writhe just by moving his mouth and tongue from one spot to another, when they eventually heard a knock on the door.

Spike's growl shook both their bodies, distracting Buffy so much she forgot what had caused it until the knocking got louder. The sound of Dawn's voice brought matching sighs of resignation, and Spike reached for his pants as Buffy shouted back.

"Hold your horses!" She left her clothes where they were and ran to grab a robe from the bedroom.

"Just get your clothes on and let me in. It's dark out here and—"

Spike was at the door, barefoot and with his jeans barely zipped, but sword in hand, before the scream ended. He threw the door open, blocking Buffy, who was still tying her robe as she came out, from seeing that Dawn was dangling from the hand of another cyborg wearing bits and pieces of Initiative fatigues. They stood, frozen, knowing he could break Dawn's neck before either of them could take him down.

"Can you—?" With no way to answer Buffy's question, Dawn just widened her eyes, then shut them and disappeared with her usual pop. The cyborg was left staring at his now-empty hand, the expression on his face almost comical. It faded to anger when Spike ran the point of a sword into his chest, causing the battery in there to spark and smoke. With a grunt, Spike pushed harder and the battery exploded, sending him flying back into the apartment.

"Wow, what a kick!" Spike grinned up at Buffy. "Think that may have started my old heart beating again."

Once she saw Spike was all right, Buffy turned her attention back to the half-man, half-robot swaying in the doorway. As it listed toward her, she leapt into action.

"Oh no you don't!"

She shoved it backwards, away from the door, and watched with satisfaction as it toppled over. Glancing up and down the street and seeing no one, Buffy darted out and began to drag the large body out of the alley and onto the road. She left it in the middle of the street and ran back to her apartment before anyone could report seeing a half-naked woman dragging a body.

She closed and locked the door just as there was another pop and Dawn appeared in the living room. Her sister glanced at the clothes still strewn around the floor and sighed.

"That," she said, pointing to Spike's bare chest and Buffy's skimpy bathrobe, "is why I had to arrive outside instead of in here where I'd be nice and safe."

"Sorry, Bit," Spike mumbled, still looking a little buzzed from his jolt. "Nobody was expecting you back already. Thought you had a date?"

"I did—do have a date. But when I got back, I remembered the other reason I came in the first place, and I thought I'd have time to just pop in and out."

Buffy laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just, usually when people use that expression, they don't quite mean the way you do. So, what's the other thing?"

"Oh. The other thing is that I want to bring George to the wedding, and I wanted to make sure that's okay before I tell him about it tonight."

"Oh course it's okay! I mean, I don't know how much fun he'll have standing around in a portal bubble, but..."

"He'll be fine. It's going to have to be a pretty big bubble to hold everybody, so he'll have lots of company. I figure if I want him to be okay with two Buffys – neither one of which he's ever met, a dead mom who's just fine in this world, two Willows, two Xanders—"

"Think we get the picture, Bit. You're going to be feeding him details a little bit at a time. Is that right?"

"Something like that. I mean, of course he already knows some stuff, but... yeah meeting everybody, including my vampire brother-in-law... I'm going to work up to that gradually."

"It's fine, Dawn. We're happy to have him." She leaned back against Spike who had wrapped his arms around her thinly-clad body and was leering at Dawn over her shoulder. Buffy giggled and smiled up at him before looking back at Dawn, who was rolling her eyes.

"You two are disgusting. You know that, right?"

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"I'm on my way. Trust me. I've seen all the bare body parts I want to. Go back to whatever you were doing."

"Bye, Bit!"

"Good night, Dawn"

Buffy was already turning to meet his kiss before the sound of the closing portal had faded.

"What say we take this to the bed?" Spike said, picking her up and beginning to walk to the other room while Buffy wrapped her legs around his waist and began to pepper his chest with kisses. "Hey now, don't start without me," he complained when she began to rub herself against him.

"Better hurry and catch up, then," she replied, reaching for his zipper as he leaned over the bed to put her down. By the time he followed her down to the mattress, his jeans were back on the floor and he was growling his impatience.

The sound of the phone broke into the dream Buffy was having where she was being escorted down the aisle by a cyborg in a tuxedo. She awoke with a shudder and reached for the phone, but Spike already had it.

"This hour of the morning, this better be good," he growled. His eyes narrowed, then he thrust the phone at Buffy. "It's for you." He got up and walked into the other room.

"Hello?"

"Buffy? Was that—"

"Riley? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

She heard him take a deep breath. "We need to talk," he said. "We found Forrest this morning. Adam had changed him."

"I know," she said, as sympathetically as she could manage when talking to someone from the organization that produced Adam. "There's another one of your men in the—" She paused and decided not to share her address with him. "—somewhere on Elder Street, downtown. We saw it last night."

Riley gave another sigh. "I know. We already removed the body. Something killed—something destroyed their batteries, but we don't know what."

"Swords."

"Swor— _You_ did it?"

"Well Spike and I did." There was a long silence, broken when Buffy said gently, "Riley, they weren't your men anymore. They were already dead. Adam killed them and he was using their bodies."

"I know."

"So, where do you want to meet? The Magic Box or somewhere else?"

"Somewhere else. Can I talk to you without the vampire?"

"Why?"

"He's a hostile. I can't think of him as a person – and I don't like the way he looks at me," he added, his voice getting softer as he admitted his real reason.

"All right, Riley. Where do you want to meet me?" She could hear Spike growling in from the kitchen as he slammed the refrigerator door. Arranging to meet Riley in an hour at the coffee shop, she hung up and got dressed.

"Are you going to be all right with this?" She walked up behind Spike who was watching his blood spin around in the microwave. Buffy slid her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back. "We need them, Spike. The longer we put this off, the more damage Adam can do, and bigger risk it will be to go in after him."

"You heard him, pet. He doesn't think I'm a person. Wanker would as soon stake me as not."

"I think he's afraid of you," she said, nudging him with her nose. "And I can't blame him. You do spend a lot of time glaring at him like he was the Riley from our world. This one hasn't captured or chipped you, and he isn't dating me. You're blaming this Riley for stuff he hasn't done and isn't ever going to."

"You think he's afraid of me?" As she'd hoped, Spike chose to focus on that part of her explanation. He turned around in her embrace and put his own arms around her shoulders. "Really?"

"Of course he is. All he knows about you is that you're an old vampire and you obviously don't like him. He doesn't even know about your soul yet."

"Gonna tell him?" he asked, letting go so he could turn back to the counter and take his warmed up blood out of the oven.

"I dunno. Maybe?" Buffy got down the cereal and fixed herself a bowl. "My recollection is that Riley never 'got' the whole soul thing, so I don't know if it would make much of a difference to this one. The important thing now, is that he listens to my plan and agrees to help us. Blowing that place up and trapping all the demons and Adam in there would be so much better than having to sneak or fight our way in and get close enough for me to rip that thing out of his chest."

"You know, Slayer, if he's as invulnerable as you say he is, bringing a building down on him might not be what it takes to get the job done. He might just crawl out of the rubble, all brassed off and vengeance-seeking."

"Way to rain on my parade, Spike!"

"Just keeping it real, love. You've got to be ready for that to happen. Doesn't mean blowing up that nightmare of a place and killing all the demons and vamps still there isn't a good idea, it just means you can't turn your back on it till you've seen the body."

"All right. I'll keep that in mind. Maybe Riley will have some ideas about how we can be sure Adam is shut down."

"Bloody inconsiderate of him to want to talk to you in the daytime," Spike grumbled as he put his empty cup in the sink. "Means I can't be there."

"I think that was kinda his point," she said, smiling at him. "Go back to sleep. I'll be home as soon as I can."

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"So, what do you think? Will that work?"

Riley leaned back and thought for a few seconds. "Yeah. It just might. We'd need to round up the right kind of explosives... maybe throw in a few incendiary devices for the vamps..." He smiled at her. "I like it. No danger to civilians, no hand-to-hand with cyborgs wearing the faces of my buddies. When do you want to go?"

"As soon as you tell me you're ready. Spike and I will go in front and clear the space of any vamps and demons, so all you and your men will have to do is follow us and set up your stuff... and then let us know when to clear out."

"You sure you want to bring Spike with you? Asking him to fight his own kind?"

Buffy sighed. "Look, I know you don't like him, and he definitely doesn't like you, but you're both being jerks about this and we really don't have time for it."

"I don't like him because he's a hostile running around loose, and because he looks like he'd as soon kill me first chance he gets. I don't care if he likes me or not, I just don't get why he's singled me out. I'm pretty sure it isn't because I look tastier than anybody else."

Buffy gave a half-smile and shook her head. "Remember how he kinda over-reacted to you when you asked how we knew so much about the Initiative? And what I told you about our...you and me, I mean... relationship in the other world?"

"He's _jealous_?"

"Well, partly, I guess – which is where the being a jerk comes into it. But he also spent some time in that lab back in our world. It wasn't... wasn't a very pleasant experience for him, even though, if he's honest, it's probably why we had a chance to get to know each other well enough to... Never mind that. The point is, he's blaming you for things you – this you – haven't done and aren't going to. Things that happened years ago and have nothing to do with our lives now. So – bad Spike."

When Riley started to speak, she stopped him. "But, you just met him. And you're judging him by _what_ he is, not who he is or what he knows about your organization. So – bad Riley."

Buffy bit her lip and looked directly at him before continuing. "Spike is not your average vampire. He and Angel—I'll tell you about him some other time—have souls. In Spike's case, he got it on purpose; he fought for it – for me. But he was in love with me long before he got it, and he was helping me with stuff long before then too, so it's not like he wasn't already doing good... but the soul... It makes him something very special. He isn't, never was, and never will be like the vamps you're used to staking and capturing."

"So, when you say he was in love with you before... you mean when you were dating that other, much luckier, me?"

Buffy acknowledged the compliment with another smile and nodded. "Yeah. He had to spend a lot of time seeing and hearing things he really didn't want to. It was the only way to be close to me, so he hung around even when it hurt. You really can't blame him for not being glad to see you again."

"I guess not." Riley shrugged and shook his head. "I don't really get all this stuff about souls, but I'll try to remember he's not on the to-be-staked list and I'll tell the other guys. Now, about those weapons..."

"So, that's what we did back in my time. I was able to defeat Adam because of a spell that linked all four of us." She looked around the table at Willow, Xander and Giles. "And I wouldn't have been able to stop him without it. It gave me the power I needed." She sat back and put her hand over Spike's where it rested on her shoulder. "Granted, this time I've got Spike with me..." She glanced up at him and curled her lip. "...instead of out running around pretending he was helping so we wouldn't stake him." Ignoring his indignant growl, she went back to the subject at hand. "And, we've got lots of military help with big explody things and guns that make big holes in stuff. But, just in case..."

"You do not think the ordnances will do the job?" Giles frowned. "Then why are we wasting time on them?"

"Well, two reasons, really. One, it gives Riley and the guys who are left something to do to help clean up their mess. It'll look good to the regular Army guys if and when they get here. And, it should take care of everything else that's in there. Instead of them escaping or hiding down there for years, all those demons and vamps will be gone. Poof! So, job well done... except maybe for Adam."

"I don't get it, Buffy. Why won't it kill Adam too? Not," Xander hastened to add, "that I'm not all onboard with the blowing stuff up. But seems to me it's a win-win for us."

"I'm hoping it will," she replied. "Or that I can at least get close enough to blow that powerpack out of his chest with a rocket launcher. But as Spike pointed out, we don't really know exactly _how_ invulnerable he is. If I can't get to the power pack, he might just come crawling out of the rubble some day. With my luck, it'd be during my wedding."

"So, we are to remain close by as a magical back-up?"

"Yeah. Is that okay? I mean, I don't want you guys to be so close that you're in danger this time, but if we have to give me that extra power in a hurry..."

Giles nodded. "It's a good plan. It never hurts to have an alternative plan in place. I will research the spell immediately."

Spike and Riley exchanged wary nods of greeting when Buffy and the Scoobies arrived at the agreed staging area several hundred yards from the intended entry point. They earned quick smiles from Buffy before she went into her "general Buffy" persona and began running through the plan. Riley glanced at the van containing Giles, Willow and Xander. Although they were parked well back from where the soldiers were unloading things from their trucks, it was obvious they intended to remain in the area.

"Uh... Buffy?" Riley jerked his head toward the van. "Shouldn't they be somewhere... safer? This could get ugly if Adam's demons notice us before we're ready to blow it."

Buffy sighed. "They're my backup plan, Riley. It's too complicated to explain to you now, just trust me. If this doesn't take Adam down and I have to fight him, I'm going to need them and what they can do."

"I thought the vampire was your backup?"

"Spike is my... he's my partner. He'll have my back when I fight. That's not what they're here for... exactly."

"I can't wait to see it," Riley muttered.

"I'm hoping you won't have to."

"Don't you know how this is going to turn out? I thought you were all future girl who knows everything." He sounded almost bitter, and Buffy frowned as she looked at him.

"I know how things went in _my_ world. This one is already different, and has been since I got here and started changing stuff. In my world, I had to go in and fight Adam on his home turf – and I couldn't have done it without the mystical help I got from Giles, Willow and Xander. I'm hoping that won't be the case this time. If we can bring this place down around his head, even if he survives, I should have a few minutes to do what I need to do before he recovers his full strength. But, no, I _don't_ know how it's going to turn out – hence the backup."

She turned around and looked for Spike, standing watchfully near the entrance they'd chosen. Riley had stationed squads at all the other exits to capture or destroy anything that tried to come out before they were ready. Their orders were to blow their own targets as soon as they got the signal from Riley that the main event was ready to happen. They wanted to be certain that nothing could leave the facility before they blew it up.

"We're going in," Buffy said. "Tell your explosion guys to stay far enough behind that they can't be attacked by anything that might get past us."

"They'll have back up and cover," Riley said, shouldering a very large gun and gesturing to a group of similarly armed men. "Don't worry about anything that gets past you, we'll have it covered."

"Yeah, well, just don't miss and hit one of us, huh? _Neither_ one of us," she added.

"I'll be careful." He turned to his men and gave them quick last-minute instructions, including to be careful not to hit either Spike or Buffy who would be fighting in front of them. "Let's roll," he said, gesturing after Buffy and Spike, who were already heading for the big tunnel.

Although the tunnels were not as well-lit as they had been when there were humans using them, there was still enough dim light to see by. It was actually lighter than it had been outside where they'd been very careful not to use any really bright lights that might alert the inhabitants to their presence. They were able to get fairly far in before Spike held up his hand and stopped. Buffy fell into a fighting stance when he held up three fingers and pointed down the tunnel where it curved and began to drop down into the earth. She nodded and waited.

When the demolition team caught up to them, she held her finger to her lips and indicated they should remain where they were. Then she and Spike walked forward, as quietly as possible, although they both knew that vampires would probably hear them coming, just as Spike had been able to hear three beings of some sort ahead of them.

Rounding the corner, they found two vampires and an odd-looking demon, arguing over where they needed to be. "It's not like anything alive is going to come in—urk!" His dust was not yet to the floor when Buffy whirled on the other vamp while Spike attacked the demon. In the interest of speed and silence, there was no quipping from Buffy, just a quick dusting before she turned to help Spike. Whatever the demon was, he seemed to be stronger than would be expected for something his size, and Spike was struggling to get him into a position where he could break his neck.

"Fuck this!" he growled softly and pulled his sword, partially severing the demon's head and exposing the wires holding it on. As he expected, the demon continued to fight, his now useless head dangling. "Stand back, pet."

Buffy moved behind the creature, trying to keep it facing toward Spike so he could get a good shot at its chest. When he plunged his sword in, the demon tried to scream – but Buffy was quick to lop the head the rest of the way off and all that came out of the throat was an angry gurgle that quickly died out as its battery exploded and it fell to the floor.

"I could get used to this," Spike said, grinning as he picked himself up. "We may have to invest in a pair of jumper cables, Slayer. Spark up our love life."

She rolled her eyes, and stepped around the body to wave the soldiers forward. As they reached her, Riley's communicator vibrated and he glanced at it. "Bad news. One of my squads was made. They had to shoot and blow their tunnel closed to keep the enemy in."

"So, we're almost out of time?" Buffy whirled and called to Spike. "Let's go. Forget being quiet – we just need to get these guys where they need to be." She threw back over her shoulder at Riley, "Tell your men to blow those other tunnels now. I want anything trying to leave to come this way."

"What if it's Adam?"

Buffy shrugged and pointed to one of the men holding a rocket launcher. "Tell him to aim for the middle of Adam's chest – after he tells us to duck."

"Do we really want a nuclear explosion while we're still in here?" Spike touched Buffy's arm as they ran forward.

"Whatever it takes, Spike. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

At Riley's signal, all the other exits from the facility had been blown shut – at least temporarily. When he shouted to Buffy that they were far enough in for what they needed to do, she and Spike stood facing the now-visible open area while the demolition squad began to place their charges. They moved forward and took up positions just in front of the men who were working swiftly as they moved farther into the big room, placing their devices in the spots they'd pre-determined would do the most damage.

"Here we go, pet," Spike said as the first wave of escaping vampires began running toward the main exit from the room. They slid to a stop temporarily when they saw Buffy and Spike facing them, but soon recovered their courage as more vampires and demons began to fill in behind them – all eager to get out of the facility that was filling with smoke from the smaller explosions.

Using stakes and their bare hands, Buffy and Spike had soon reducing most of the vampires to, if not dust, incapacitated bodies on the floor. As the first of the demons reached them, they switched to swords and began to cut their way through the press of bodies. Riley had discovered that a shot to the chest was enough to incapacitate the batteries in those creatures that were obviously not all flesh and blood. Letting him and a few others with heavy-duty assault rifles pick off the cyborgs, Spike and Buffy spread apart and began to pick off any demons or remaining vampires that had figured out what the men working on their knees were trying to do.

When Spike intercepted a vampire just as he was reaching for one of the demolition crew, backhanding it away and then following up with a stake to its heart, the man mumbled a quick "thanks" before going back to his work. As soon as he was finished, he nodded and stood up. With Spike guarding his back and keeping area around the planted explosives clear, he quickly retreated back into the tunnel.

Buffy had performed the same service for the man setting up devices on the other side of the room, keeping his area free of both demons trying to stop him, and those that just wanted to kill.

Riley's shout that they were good to go, allowed Buffy and Spike to retreat behind a barrage of fire from the soldiers guarding the retreat. When everyone was clear, they threw some grenades in to keep the demons and cyborgs from getting to the explosives.

"Here, let us. Which ones make fire?" Buffy took the offered incendiary bombs and handed one to Spike. "Bet I can throw farther than you can," she said, lobbing hers into the big room, well past anywhere the soldiers had been able to reach.

"You throw like a girl," he growled, heaving his almost all the way across the space.

"Incoming!" The shout was barely soon enough for everyone to fall to the floor and avoid the blast from Adam's arm. They could just see him, walking through the flames and smoke and raising his arm again.

"Buffy! Spike! Let's go!"

Buffy threw one last grenade that blew up right in front of Adam, before joining the retreat. She hoped that would slow him down enough for them to get clear before the whole place went up.

"Do it!" She yelled as they ran past the man holding the detonator. He pushed the button, then followed them out to the staging area. From above ground, they could hear a deep rumble that grew in intensity as the ground shook and dust and smoke began to billow out of the entrance.

"Lights!" Riley yelled and the powerful floodlights they'd kept shuttered while making their preparations lit up the entire area. The forest covering the lab seemed to rise into the air, then collapse, making a shallow crater filled with trees. As reports came in from the squads stationed around the perimeter, they all reported no sign of anything except dust and continued rumblings as more underground collapsing took place. The men stationed near Lowell house had kept that area clear of students, so there were no civilians in the area to see the fraternity house gradually sink into the ground and disappear in flames.

"Nothing could live through that," Graham said. "It's over."

"It's not over till I know that monster isn't going to crawl out of there," Buffy said. "He might be stuck in there for awhile, but—"

"I think..." Graham pulled forward a man in civilian clothes wearing a lab coat. They both flinched at the deep snarl that burst from Spike's throat. The man stared, eyes wide, at the vampire glaring at him from beside the girl he'd been told was responsible for their new knowledge about Adam. Spike was staring at the man as if he planned to rip him apart, until Buffy put a calming hand on his arm.

"Spike. This is not whoever you think he is. I mean, he is, I guess, but he hasn't done anything to you. And he's not going to. Let. It. Go." Buffy stood between Spike and the clearly frightened, but also curious man.

"Is he... is that...?" He looked at Buffy. "How are you controlling him? I'd like to compare notes—"

"We'll be right back," Buffy said to Graham and Riley, as she physically dragged Spike away from man who had no idea what he'd done. Spike was in full game face and snarling without letup. She got him a good distance away and waited until he stopped snarling before releasing his arm. "Are you okay now?"

He took a deep breath and nodded. "'m sorry, pet. I recognize that bitch's minion. He's the one that helped her put the chip in my brain."

"_This _minion didn't do anything to you. And he never will." She put a hand on his cheek. "Why don't you stay over here with Giles and let me find out why Graham brought that guy over. 'K?"

"I'm not gonna bite him," he growled. "Just had a little flashback..."

"Doesn't matter. I've got a feeling you and he will both be happier if you stay apart. I'll be right back."

Leaving Spike to explain to Giles and the Scoobies what was going on, Buffy walked back over to Riley and Graham. She looked at the still curious lab tech and asked, "Okay, so if you worked for Professor Walsh in the labs, why aren't you a cyborg? And if you don't stop looking at Spike like that, I'm going to let him eat you," she added as the man's eyes kept going to where Spike was leaning against the van and smoking while he stared at them.

"But he... you... You can control him."

"He controls himself," Buffy said tersely. "But he's not perfect at it, so you might want to take that look off your face. You won't be putting a chip in his head – not this time around."

He whirled to stare at Buffy. "How do you—"

Graham interrupted him. "You don't need to know what she knows or how she knows it. All you need to do is tell her what you told me. About the powerpack and fire." From the way Graham and Riley were glaring at the man, it was obvious they didn't consider him an ally.

"All I said was, if the fire gets to Adam's body, his atomic power supply will overheat and destroy itself. And anything within a hundred yards or more, probably," he added.

They all turned to look at the area over the labs, noting the thick smoke and occasional visible flames shooting up through the collapsed earth.

"What do you think?" Buffy asked Riley.

He shrugged. "We put plenty of incendiary bombs in there along with the explosives. As long as there's enough oxygen for the fires to feed on, they should keep burning until the fuel runs out. I don't know how he'd be able to get away from it. The whole place looks like it's burning." He pointed at the flames still coming out of openings in the earth.

Buffy sighed. "Okay. I'm going to call it a win. But I think we need to keep an eye on this area for a while. Just in case..."

"We'll do a complete recon when it's daylight. If we haven't detected an explosion of that size by the time the fire dies out, I'll send a crew in to look for Adam's body – or parts of it. Whatever's left."

"Okay. Great." Buffy smiled at Riley and Graham. "Thanks, guys. This would have been a whole lot harder without you."

"No problem. I'm just glad we got our mess cleaned up." Riley took the lab tech by the arm. "And now you're going to explain to us why you didn't come to us right away to tell us everything you know about the monster you helped create."

Buffy watched as they marched the protesting man over to one of the SUVs and threw him in, then turned around and walked back to where Spike and the Scoobies were waiting for her.

**Chapter Five**

"So, what's the what?" Xander asked. "I was hoping for more of a bang, but we couldn't see much from here."

"All the bang was underground – where it was supposed to be," Buffy said. "Although, according to that lab guy they found, when the fire gets to Adam's powerpack—"

The earth shook under their feet, knocking several soldiers and Giles to the ground. The center of the depression erupted, throwing trees, rocks and dirt into the air. By the time everything had returned to earth, and the dust had cleared, there now seemed to be more of a crater than a depression. It was hard to tell, as most of the floodlights had broken or toppled over.

"Wow."

"I'm guessing that means Adam went boom?" Willow was peering into the darkness, trying to see.

"If that guy was telling the truth, that's what it means. The fire got to his powerpack and we just had our own little mini-underground nuclear bomb test."

"Yay us?"

Buffy shrugged. "Well, actually, yay Riley and his guys. They brought all the weapons and exploding things. All we did was take out some vamps and demons."

"On the contrary, Buffy," Giles said, patting her on the shoulder. "Without your knowledge of Adam's weakness and your insistence on destroying him as soon as possible, who knows how long it may have taken to eliminate that source of world-ending danger. Another apocalypse avoided. Well done."

As they all climbed back into the van for the drive back to town, Spike said, "Seems like the old Powers may have know what they were doing this time. As far as this world is concerned, anyway."

"Our world will be fine," Buffy said. "They've still got a Giles, a Willow, a Dawn, a Xander... and a whole bunch of slayers. They don't need us."

"Famous last words, pet. I hope they didn't hear that." He pretended to shudder and everyone laughed, confident in the security of this world, now protected by two people who knew what was coming.

As they were dropped off at their apartment, Buffy and Spike waved good-night and then opened the door and stepped down into their living room. After scenting the air, as he always did when coming home, and finding no trace of intruders, Spike closed and locked the door.

"When are you going to stop being so paranoid?"

"When hell freezes over and I know evil is trapped there forever," he responded, throwing his coat on a chair. "Where are you going?"

Buffy looked back at him over her shoulder as she walked toward the bathroom. "I'm going to shower off all this vamp dust. Wanna help?"

"Singin' my song, love," he said, already pulling his shirt off over his head. He followed the sound of her giggles as she dropped her own clothes in a dusty heap.

"Put your stuff there so I can wash them the next time I'm at Mom's."

Buffy leaned over to turn on the water, giving Spike a good view of her rounded cheeks as she fiddled with the water temperature. When she was satisfied, she turned the shower on and stepped into the tub, pulling the plastic curtain across the opening. By the time Spike joined her, she was already wet and had shampoo in her hair.

"Allow me," he said, beginning to massage her scalp with his powerful fingers. Buffy murmured her appreciation and leaned back against him, resting her hands on his thighs as he cleaned her hair and relaxed her head. He turned her so she could rinse the shampoo out, then picked up the washcloth and body wash.

Buffy stood still for the familiar ritual as he generously applied bodywash to the cloth and began to run it around her body, starting with her neck. He carefully scrubbed both arms, her chest and her breasts – bringing the nipples to hard peaks as he gave them extra attention. He then moved the cloth down her body, rubbing in sensual circles as he made his way down one leg and up the other. Buffy obediently spread her legs for him when he nudged them apart and, using his hand instead of the cloth he worked his way around her folds, to her opening, to her other opening – everywhere but to the body part she was trying, less than subtly, to present to him.

"Did I miss a spot?" he asked, grinning up at her. "Was it this one? Or maybe this one? Oh, I'll bet it's this one..." With his soap-slicked hand, he began to stroke her while she clung to his shoulders and tried to keep her feet. In a short amount of time, she was whimpering and digging her fingers into his back as he replaced his fingers with his mouth and bit down gently. Buffy gave a small shriek and collapsed over him, letting him hold her up with arms around her thighs as she rested on his back and began to breath normally again. Dropping a kiss upon his back, she straightened up and leaned back under the water to rinse off the lather remaining on her body.

"Your turn," she said, tugging him to his feet and changing places with him. While he washed the dust from his own hair, Buffy took the washcloth and began soaping his body, enjoying the way his smooth skin and muscles felt under her hands. She stepped closer, putting her arms around him and running the cloth over his back and down to his ass. The little gasp he gave when she allowed her fingers to linger in his crack and creep down to circle his hole made her smile in satisfaction.

She slid her fingers forward to stroke just behind his balls, then stepped back and began to soap his flat abdomen, playing with the light brown curls that trailed down his lower body. She soaped his cock, running her hands up and down it and dipping down to roll his balls in her hands while he braced himself against the tiled wall and watched her. Using the soap as lubricant, Buffy soon had him thrusting into her small, but powerful hands as she worked his cock the way she knew he liked best. As he began to spurt, she watched the shower water rinse it away with the soap.

"Com'mere, you," he growled, pulling her up and wrapping his arms around her. Wet bodies pressed tightly together, they stood under the water, letting it pour over them as they kissed until it began to lose its warmth. When Buffy shivered, he let go of her and let her step out of the tub. Turning off the water, he followed and gratefully accepted the towel she handed him. They dried off and then, in what had become another ritual, Spike took a wide-toothed comb and combed out Buffy's hair, finishing by running a dry towel over it until it was mostly dry.

As they left the bathroom, Spike yawned mightily. "Must be almost dawn," he said. "I can't keep my eyes open."

"Got to bed, then," Buffy said, patting him on his rear.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Not if you're going to be sleeping, I guess." She grinned at him to indicate she was kidding, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her against his body. She smiled with satisfaction as she felt him swelling against her hip.

"Thought you couldn't keep your eyes open?"

"I can shag with my eyes shut," he growled, falling onto the bed and pulling her with him. "Won't have you thinkin' I'd rather sleep than make love to you."

"I wasn't—" Spike cut off her response by kissing her until she was almost dizzy. True to his word, he rolled her over and nudged his way in between her thighs without opening his eyes. Buffy relaxed her legs and let him work his way into his goal, then wrapped her own legs around his waist and pulled him in closer. "Let's see what ya got then, vampire."

"Got you, don't I?" he purred, beginning to move slowly and steadily. "I've got you, and that's all I'll ever need."

Buffy murmured in appreciation as he picked up speed and began to pound harder, pushing himself up on his hands so as to be looking down at her.

"Your eyes are open," she gasped, beginning to thrash her head around as he kept hitting just the right spot.

"Like to watch you when you come for me. I'll shut my eyes later." As he spoke, she clenched around him, arched her back, and closed her own eyes in ecstasy as she shuddered to a conclusion. As soon as he saw her going over the edge, he let himself find his release, closing his eyes and gasping her name as he came. He collapsed on top of her, stretching out while she put her arms around his back and dropped her legs to rest outside his.

They lay together, breathing in unison, until Buffy noticed he wasn't responding to her nibbles on his ear. When he stopped breathing and just laid on top of her without moving, she bit down a little harder on his earlobe.

"If you start snoring, the wedding is off!" she said when he flinched. She felt his chest shake as he laughed before rolling off.

"Was just a bit knackered, pet. Don't know why you aren't just as tired. I think we fought more vamps and demons tonight than we usually do in a year."

"I _am_ tired," she admitted, smothering a yawn. She stretched and stood up. "I'll just make sure the curtain is closed, and turn out the lights. I'll be right back."

"I'll be right here," he mumbled, closing his eyes again.

Buffy ran into the living room and pulled the heavy drape across the one small, high window that let the only sunlight into the apartment. She hit the light switch on her way back to the bedroom, and felt her way to the bed. She crawled up until she found Spike's arm, which he'd left lying across the bed for her. Putting her head on his chest and swinging one leg over his, she smiled as the arm automatically came up around her back and pulled her closer.

"Night, love," he said, kissing her forehead.

"Night. Get plenty of rest. Tomorrow we're going to pick out wedding invitations. And you're going to be there, and you're going to participate."

"Looking forward to it, love," he sighed. "Looking forward to it."

"I don't think you really meant that." She yawned again. "But I'm too tired to fight about it right now."

"Thank God for small favors," he muttered, turning his face into the pillow.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'I love you, Slayer'."

"You did not."

"Did too..." His voice trailed off and he became perfectly still.

"Did not..." Buffy sighed against his chest and closed her own eyes in well-deserved rest.

**The End**


End file.
